Unlock, poll process right recipe for virus siege
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: August 26, 2021 -

THE number of fatalities remaining in the lower half of the single digit in the last few days has been the only respite as the state continues to record test positivity rate above the 10 per cent mark in the last fortnight with exception of only once in the said period when the positivity rate dipped below the double digit.

Taking into account of the committee of experts constituted under the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) warning of an imminent third wave of Covid-19 pandemic, amid almost all the states and union territories lifting the restrictions, and projecting that it could peak around October, it could be safely stated that preventing onset of another cycle of the pandemic in Manipur would be an arduous task if the current positivity rate stays above the national average.

As the unlock process is already in motion with the government allowing various activities, albeit staggeringly, and some commercial establishments not adhering to the prescribed guidelines, there is high possibility that the situation will only aggravate in the coming days in case authorities concerned leave it to the public to face the consequences.

No doubt, the number of patients recovering from the viral disease has been outnumbering the daily cases but it the rate of infection that the authorities should be worried about as it means that the virus containment measures has been yielding the desired result.

While slight dip or plateauing of the infection rate since start of the current month entails launch of vigorous contact tracing the test positivity average fluctuating in the range of 10 per cent shows that more efforts are necessary.

One disturbing aspect of the pandemic situation in the state was the number of daily cases crossing the 350 mark on August 24 after the figure dipped below 300 in the two previous days.

Even more worrying is the fact that Churachandpur and Pherzawl districts recorded significant spike in the number of daily cases compared to some of the valley districts which had been recording higher cases ever since outbreak of second wave of the pandemic.

Out of Monday's total of 386 cases, remote Pherzawl district accounting for 21 and Churachandpur recording 50 cases could be an indicator that the general population have been misconstruing the government's decision to gradually lift the curbs as improvement in the situation rather than digesting the fact that allowing resumption of the various activities is to pave the way for the citizens to address their own hardships and problems but with strict compliance with the Covid appropriate behaviour.

That the public have misread relaxation of the Covid-induced restrictions could be gauged from the usual inappropriate wearing of face mask at public places and violation of social distancing guidelines at commercial hubs in the capital city.

With small time traders thronging the wholesale shops confined mostly at Thangal and Paona markets, it is recommended that the government authorities stringently enforce the safety protocols in these places to make the containment measures meaningful and effective.

As it obvious that the government would be tempted to persist with the unlock process in view of the assembly election only a few months away coupled with the political activities gaining pace, Manipur wriggling out from the snare of coronavirus anytime soon is not foreseeable.