With third wave of the Covid pandemic intensifying fast the fears of yet another covid lockdown are looming large over the hapless populations in Jammu & Kashmir. Nothing short of strict adherence to covid protocols would probably reduce the unprecedented rise in the third wave of covid spread dominated by the fear over the consequences of the spread of “Omicron” a new variant of the covid-19 pandemic in Jammu & Kashmir like many states and union territories of the country . Though government has put in place all preventive measures including anti-body tests for people arriving and departing at Srinagar airports but carelessness shown by people in markets and other public places in following covid protocols if not controlled through stringent measures the imposition of yet another covid lockdown would inevitably be a compulsion for the government. As such in the current wave of pandemic it is for the people to reduce the scope for the imposition of yet another phase of covid lockdown by strictly following the covid protocols in government offices, markets, hospitals, shopping malls and such other public places. Government declaring anti-body tests mandatory for visitors at the hospitals shows that the intensity of the current wave of the pandemic is more horrifying than the previous two waves of the pandemic witnessed in last two years. No of daily covid cases reaching almost to 2000 a day also shows that the spread of the current wave of the pandemic is increasing more intensely in the ongoing third wave than the first two waves of covid-19 pandemic witnessed in last two years in both Kashmir valley and as well as Jammu division.
Better for the people not to allow any kind of carelessness hamper their business operations and consequently livelihood opportunities of thousands of people amid increasing economic stress by strictly following the covid protocols and showing overwhelming response to the ongoing vaccination drives in all the fourteen districts. The onus lies more on people and less on health workers and the government in Jammu & Kashmir.
Since the enforcement of yet another phase of covid lockdown would by all probabilities hit the business operations again and consequently the livelihood opportunities of more people working at the local business outlets in both Kashmir valley and as well as Jammu division, the strict adherence to covid protocols and overwhelming response to the covid vaccination drives are the only ways to contain the increasing intensity of the current wave of the pandemic. So not only strict adherence to covid protocols but overwhelming response to covid vaccination drives undertaken for both children of 16 plus age group and as well as adults would probably reduce the scope for the enforcement of yet another covid lockdown in Jammu & Kashmir. Better for the people not to allow any kind of carelessness hamper their business operations and consequently livelihood opportunities of thousands of people amid increasing economic stress by strictly following the covid protocols and showing overwhelming response to the ongoing vaccination drives in all the fourteen districts. The onus lies more on people and less on health workers and the government in Jammu & Kashmir.
