Effectiveness of ECI strictures in averting health crisis
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: February 08, 2022 -
HAD the Election Commission of India not prohibited all election campaign activities that necessitate gathering and congregating of people in large number at a single venue, then it is quite possible that the pandemic situation in the state would be much worse than what it is at present.
Accepted that the number of positive cases has been declining in almost all the states and union territories, where elections wouldn't be held.
However, it is due to the stringent measures put in place by the ECI in the five poll-bound states including the country's most populated Uttar Pradesh that the virus hasn't spread as rapidly as was predicted by the experts.
For the record, the highest number of cases during the first wave was recorded at nearly 98,000 in mid-September 2020, followed by 4.14 lakh early May, 2021 after onset of the second wave and 3.47 lakh recorded in latter part of January this year.
The experts' prediction that Omicron variant of the virus would be most diabolic and highly transmissible than all other variants might have forced the public to heed the Covid safety guidelines.
Nevertheless, it would be grossly imprudent to undermine the steps taken up by the ECI to curb spread of the virus.
As election campaigns generally centre on the politicians addressing large gathering of people to woo potential voters, the ECl's firm resolve to restrict events entailing massive congregation has unarguably been the main reason why the third wave has not been as destructive as the Delta variant driven second wave during which the country's healthcare set-up nearly collapsed.
While it is obvious that everybody's wish would be the virus does not cause any more deaths, the gradual decline in the number of positive cases for nearly a week now should give immense relief to all as fewer cases naturally means less burden for the healthcare workers and consequently encourage them to take better care of the patients.
It needs no reminding that the commoners continue to be the worst-hit section in every part of the world but outbreak of the pandemic some two years back made the rich become wealthier.
With gradual improvement in the pandemic situation, economic activities have started to resume albeit staggeringly but the fact remains that the pandemic has led to increase in the level of poverty and unemployment compared to massive increase in the wealth of some of the richest individuals, including in India.
Regardless of the dire condition arising out of the pandemic, improvement of the situation in the country, Manipur in particular, ought to be credited to the ECI.
Compared to all elections held in the state in the past when massive gathering of people for meetings, rallies and house-to-house campaigns used to the norm, this time around the ECI's decision to put a limit on public gathering at meeting venues and ban events otherwise intended to display support base of the candidates has come a blessing in disguise.
It is mainly due to the imposition of strictures that the Omicron variant-induced third wave is declining sharply after threatening to deepen the health crisis in the formative period of its onset.
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