Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, like other parts of the country, has been reporting increased cases of Covid-19 from past more than a week. On Monday, 67 cases were reported from J&K – 47 from Jammu and 20 from Kashmir divisions. Only a few days back, there would be three to four cases reported on daily basis and it seemed that the pandemic was finally reaching its end. However, the past few weeks have come as a grim reminder that the virus is very much here, ready to pounce, whenever the people lower the guard. Though the Director SKIMS, has come out with a statement saying that modelling studies from credible institutes like the IHME, University of Washington do not predict any fresh Covid wave in the immediate future for the region of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, exercising caution is clearly beneficial so that we avoid any upsurge in the cases. While asking people not to panic, he said that they also should not be complacent and take all precautionary measures.
With the decrease in the cases during past two months, people have started taking the issue not seriously. Masks have vanished from the faces and people are mingling in crowds without any precautions. This could be the reason for the increasing number of Covid cases and thus should once again put the people on high alert to tackle with the virus. People need to understand that the virus is very much here and despite the massive vaccination drive, it is going to stay and therefore following the SOPs is the only way to defeat it. Medical experts describe the trend of violating SOPs as worrisome saying the masses need to adopt Covid-19 SOPs as a new normal because nothing will change immediately. They are of the opinion that despite the vaccination drive, the virus is not going to vanish overnight and therefore taking extreme precautions is the only way to ensure safety from this invisible enemy. It is every individual’s responsibility to ensure that he/she helps in breaking the chain of infection and that is possible only if everyone adheres to ongoing SOPs. People have to behave as responsible citizens and understand that one who doesn’t follow the guidelines is doing utmost disservice to his/her own self, family and the society at large.
People should not become complacent as the medical experts are continuously suggesting that even after getting vaccinated, following of SOPs is a must. Wearing masks, maintaining social distance and washing hands frequently are the new norms and people should prepare themselves to follow these for a longer period.
