Reducing intensity of the covid-19 pandemic has not reduced the intensity of the stress mounting on the hearts and minds of the people who have lost their loved ones to two consecutive high intensity waves of covid pandemic amid unprecedented rise in the current third high intensity wave. Since the interpersonal relations hit hard by the pandemic during first and second waves have been reduced again after arrival of third wave a month ago, the stress and trauma resulting in an unprecedented surge in deaths due to heart attacks across Jammu & Kashmir is yet to end. Pandemic has affected lives like never before only because of increasing stress and trauma noticed mostly in the families of covid-19 victims during last two years. While the stress and trauma resulting in deaths due to heart attacks is yet to end, the enforcement of two consecutive lockdown in last two years has shattered people economically in Jammu & Kashmir like hapless populations in rest of the country. Interpersonal relations would surely reduce the stress and anxiety which has resulted in an unprecedented increase in the deaths of hundreds of both covid and non covid patients due to heart attacks in Jammu & Kashmir but it is also an irrefutable fact that weekend lockdowns are reducing the intensity of the pandemic spread in the current wave of pandemic. The dip in livelihoods has on one hand drastically reduced the intensity of interpersonal relations but it has also consequently increased the intensity of stress and trauma on the hearts and mind of people because of increasing economic stress. Whether stress and trauma among people is more in cities and towns or in villages, the revival of interpersonal relations is becoming an issue of core concern as it has a direct bearing on unprecedented surge in the covid spread and daily covid fatalities.
Though inter-personal relations have become a casualty because of the fear of infection and enforcement of social distancing, but there is scope for it’s gradual revival in presence of reducing existing wave of pandemic in a phased manner. With technology playing a major role in facilitating work from home and keeping connectivity intact, interpersonal relations have to be revived from a reduced level for reducing the intensity of stress and trauma becoming the cause of increasing deaths due to heart attacks in Jammu & Kashmir.
Merely upgrading the medical facilities in hospitals for combating the current third wave of covid-19 pandemic can’t reduce the intensity of stress and trauma resulting in unprecedented surge in deaths due to heart attacks but the revival of interpersonal relations because of it’s immediate impact on livelihoods could reduce the intensity of the surge in heart attacks resulting in deaths of both covid and non covid patients both at homes and as well as in hospitals across Jammu & Kashmir. Though inter-personal relations have become a casualty because of the fear of infection and enforcement of social distancing, but there is scope for it’s gradual revival in presence of reducing existing wave of pandemic in a phased manner. With technology playing a major role in facilitating work from home and keeping connectivity intact, interpersonal relations have to be revived from a reduced level and fortunately government has started with a decision to reduce the weekend lockdown by one day.
