As Covid-19 Rages Again, What Should Society Do?  

A Team KL report

SRINAGAR: With most of the hospital beds in designated Covid-19 hospitals occupied again, authorities closed schools. Officials said 242 fresh Covid-19 cases were reported in Kashmir today taking the overall pandemic morbidity to 3130 patients. Kashmir has seen 75526 Covid-19 cases so far of whom 1269 died of the disease.

In such a situation, how should Kashmir society respond to the contagion that has the capacity of mass morbidity, especially when the new mutants are also in Kashmir? We asked a few people this question. Here is what they said.

Dr Suhail Naik

President

Doctors’ Association Kashmir (DAK)

Whenever there is a pandemic, it usually lasts for two to three years and behaves differently in different situations. The activity of the virus varies and depends on seasons, human behaviour, mutation et al, which is why people have to be ready for the ups and downs of the pandemic.

People should follow the advisories and protocols in order to save themselves and the community. We should know that by being responsible we aren’t fighting the virus, we’re just trying to learn to live with it. Running the socio-economic wheel of a nation is equally important but proper SoPs should be adhered to.

Bashir Nadvi

Chairman

Athrout (NGO)

The situation is extremely grave. It is time to get ready; if not then we may witness another disaster like situation.

We are calling people who have taken oxygen machines from us. If they do not need them, they must quickly return so that they are put to use where they are required.

On Friday, Authrout will start an awareness campaign so that people will follow SOP’s strictly.

Authorities play an important role in handling the situation. But it is them who are opening one thing and closing other and perhaps it is helping in violating the SOP’s.

For getting cars with non-local numbers registered in Kashmir, the administration has left no stone unturned to seize the vehicles. So, for the implementation of SOP’s, drives with a similar pace should be launched. We all know, when authorities take something seriously, it directly impacts people and shapes the opinion of people.

Yasin Khan

Chairman

Kashmir Economic Alliance (KEA)

It is mandatory to go follow SOP’s to guard ourselves from this deadly virus. More importantly, people should use face masks and everyone has to accept this. Since the daily Covid 19 cases have gone up, fortunately, people have started using face masks and I request all the people who are occupied in different trades to use face masks.

We witnessed fewer cases last year but the cases are going up this year on daily basis. People should not visit markets for no reasons as we saw last night at Tulip Garden there was the huge congregation. Government must impose a fine on those who are violating the SOP’s.

Dr Gazala,

Nodal officer (Sampling),

International Airport, Srinagar.

Explained ‘travelling’ in times of Covid-19, the doctor emphasised on the very fact that people should only travel across if there is an emergency or if moving out is very important. unnecessary travel should be avoided.

Besides, people must follow proper SoP’s till the time there is proper eradication and elimination of the disease.

The pandemic will stay with us for a while. Everyone is advised to get vaccinated as and when the government and the healthcare workers advise them. Even if the pandemic is gone, it will still be there as an endemic. It’s our responsibility to follow the protocol and save ourselves as well as the community.’

Ghulam Nabi Var,

President

Private School Association

Is Covid only in schools? Will Covid stop by closing the schools only? The fact is that the schools does not teach education only but these are awareness centres, which educate students about pandemic and SOP’s.

Tuition centres and colleges are open, tourists are coming, events are taking place, overcrowding is in buses then why only schools have been closed.

If the government closed schools then there should be an online structure which we don’t have. The decision has been taken in the room but the groundwork has not been done.

Government should take on board all the stakeholders because it concerns society.

(Hilal Shah, Saifullah Bashir, Shakir Ashraf, Syed Samreen and Nida Sadiq contributed to this report)