Afaq Bhat
Srinagar, Aug 24: The increase in COVID-19 cases across Kashmir has evoked concern from the common people with most of them claiming that the authorities are not paying much attention towards keeping the infection under check.
It may be recalled that when the pandemic broke out in Kashmir in March this year the administration imposed lockdown and made every effort to restrict the movement of people. Screening travelers, tracing contacts of the COVID-19 suspects and fumigating streets were done extensively.
Farooq Ahmed of Rajbagh while talking to Precious Kashmir said, “After six months the scenario has changed completely. We don’t find fumigation being carried out in any area. Neither the contacts are being traced. Everything seems to have slowed down.”
He alleged that even the doctors are “not attending” the COVID-19 patients in the hospitals. “It appears that whoever catches COVID-19 is left to fend on his own for the 14-days. If he survives it’s fine but if he doesn’t it cannot be helped,” Ahmed claimed.
However, officials believe that people are not following the COVID-19 norms and are themselves responsible for the virus not relenting. “Blaming administration for every wrong is the easiest way to get away. At present there is no lockdown but people seem least bothered about wearing masks, maintaining social distancing and carrying sanitizers,” said an official.
He said, “All of us are aware of the fact that scientists are working 24×7 to develop a vaccine, till the cure comes we have to take extra precautions to keep ourselves safe. You cannot expect administration to spoon feed people.”
During the past six months Jammu and Kashmir has recorded more than 600 COVID deaths and more than 32000 positive cases. Nearly 24000 people have recovered and resumed their normal lives. “Allegations of few people against the doctors that they are not attending the COVID-19 patients are not true. Since the day pandemic has broken out doctors are working very hard and many of them have caught COVID while performing their duties,” said a medico.
Gulzar Ahmed of Rawalpora said, “Whenever cases increase, administration threatens us with re-imposing the lockdown. It seems the helmsmen are of the opinion that imposing restrictions is the only solution but the fact is that even during the lockdown cases have kept on increasing. People blaming administration and vice-versa won’t help anyone’s cause. We need to understand that anyone can catch COVID and fall sick. It’s no point blaming each other for it. All of us know that doctors are fighting against COVID without any specific treatment and they are at the highest risk of testing positive but they need to show concern towards patients as they have nowhere to go.”
COVID-19: What happened to contact tracing, fumigation, ask people
