Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference on Friday asked the concerned authorities to build vaccine confidence through community engagement and ensure the availability of all essentials in the areas which have been designated as micro-containment zones.
While expressing concern over the scarcity of essentials in the localities designated as micro containment zones across Kashmir, Party’s Additional Spokesperson Sarah Hayat Shah said with the government placing these areas under strict lockdown and tight perimeter control, the people residing in such areas are suffering from acute scarcity of essentials and other household items. “The measure was taken indicating a worrying trend of more positive cases in those areas. However, the populace living in these localities besides being weighed down by the rampaging COVID-19 is also suffering from a scarcity of essentials. The administration seems to have turned volte-face to the problems faced by them on a daily basis. Having specific areas designated as containment zones alone won’t help, the situation calls for proper containment and management strategy also which includes ensuring people living in these all essentials and civic amenities,” she said.
She said every effort which is taken in all earnest by the administration to curb the COVID-19 sprawl is welcome but while drawing such micro-containment zones, the supply chain of essentials to locals should be ensured. “The onus should also be on the citizens and community in these designated zones and everywhere else in Jammu and Kashmir to support the administration in its COVID-19 mitigation and manage efforts by strictly adhering to required government advisories and COVID-19 protocol,” she said.
She also urged the concerned authorities to build vaccine confidence through community engagement. “The figures of people going for vaccination are very diminutive. Government should understand the hesitancy and involve community leaders by sharing facts and answering the difficult questions. It is very important to address the elephant in the room, which I believe is mistrust with regard to the vaccines. It is the time to converge our efforts to fight humanity’s biggest ever public health crises in the shape of COVID-19,” she said.
