There has been a sudden surge in Covid-19 cases in India, Jammu and Kashmir being no exception. On Thursday, India recorded 35871 fresh Covid-19 cases while as the number in Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir on the same day was 140. Of late, the number of such cases had gone down and Jammu and Kashmir would record cases in two digits only. However, from past few days, the numbers have again jumped to three digits. It is alarming and should make people think that what is going wrong and where. Fact remains that vaccination is going on in Jammu and Kashmir smoothly and as per government records, nearly 4. 40 lakh people have already got vaccinated. The J&K government is planning to increase the vaccine capacity to 3 lakh doses per day in coming days. The availiblity of vaccine had given a hope that unlike 2020, this year (2021) would be safe for humans. Covid-19 killed people, destabilized economies, destroyed education sector and traumatized the humans. The vaccine has come a big relief to all the humans world over, however, the recent surge in Covid-19 cases is an indicator that humans themselves are not much serious to defeat the pandemic.
The availability of vaccine and coming down of Covid -19 cases have made people complacent and that is the basic reason for surge in such cases. People have to understand that the virus is very much there in the air looking for its potential prey and therefore they should strictly adhere to the Covid-19 guidelines and follow all the precautions. While being cheerful about the availability of vaccine, they need not to lower the guard. They have to understand that while the government machinery all over is making all efforts to ensure the vaccination of masses, there still are many slips between the cup and the lips.
Of late, face masks have been vanishing and people are seen mingling in crowds without giving a damn to social distancing. This unhealthy trend is helping the corona virus to resurface and spread again. This trend is to be stopped. Adherence to wearing masks and maintaining social distance is the key to remain safe. People have to adapt to the new norm. People have to make masks a permanent feature of their dress code. The virus has reached all corners of the world and therefore despite the availability of vaccine, it still remains a long drawn battle. This battle is to be fought by every individual by following all necessary precautions. Not adhering to the SOPs is not only suicidal but can make a person a mass murder. Those who shut their eyes to the precautions are not only risking their lives but also the lives of their near and dear ones. The government is doing what it has to do. It is ensuring proper testing of the people, it is ensuring that those effected get proper treatment and it has launched a massive vaccination drive. But the point is how the government can succeed if people are not ready to cooperate. To defeat the fresh surge of Covid-19, it is the people who have to wake up and make a conscious decision to defeat the spread of deadly virus and for that wearing of face masks, maintaining social distance and hand hygiene is a must.
