Despite spike, Bhopal continues to stay ‘unmasked’

#MASKINDIA

Despite spike, Bhopal continues to stay ‘unmasked’

Ashutosh.Shukla@timesgroup.com

Bhopal:26.11.2021

Even as Covid cases are inching up in the city, people continue to ignore the precautionary norms for protection from infection of the deadly virus and more worrisome is the fact that their numbers are rising by the day. Decision of the state government to lift all Covid restrictions, administration and police giving up on efforts to enforce the Covid protocol at public places has only contributed to a popular belief that wearing masks, maintaining social distance or washing of hands with soap or sanitiser is no longer necessary.

Meanwhile, the state government has allowed the opening of schools, colleges, hostels and coaching classes with 100% capacity and students, too, are being callous towards observing Covid norms, which may turn out to be risky.

A scene outside Nutan Girls College and adjacent Subhash School of Excellence on Thursday afternoon showed why school students are more vulnerable to the virus. While girls coming out of college campus were largely wearing masks, students of Subhash School of Excellence were mostly without masks, even those who had masks on their face were not properly worn and there was a sizeable crowd of students just outside the school gate; laughing, talking and calling out for an ice cream vendor standing nearby.

“You can check for masks when the students come into the school but as they run out after the classes, nobody can ensure that they are all wearing masks. We on our part try to see that the students observe Covid norms but children are children, you know”, said a teacher of the school, who, too, had come out of the school campus after the leave.

It’s not that all the college students are observing Covid norms. Staff in several colleges would tell you that students don’t wear masks even when asked to. But, there is a vital difference between school and college students. All the college students are vaccinated, most of them having both the doses while most of the school students are not. Moreover, if college students are not observing Covid norms, it’s deliberate but school students, particularly the smaller ones may simply forget to pull up the mask if it falls below their nose or gets stuck on their chin.

However, it’s not only the children who are vulnerable to Covid infection but also their elders, who in place of setting an example before their school or college going wards by keeping the masks on or not getting into a crowded place, in most cases don’t seem to be bothered about Covid protocol at all.

“Weather is changing. We have had a long spell of festivals. Now, it’s marriage season. So, people are socialising a lot. In such a situation, you only expect Corona cases to go up. And, people would do well to continue observing caution despite restrictions taken off by the state government. Lifting of restrictions doesn’t mean throwing caution to wind and not observing Covid norms”, said a senior faculty at Gandhi Medical College.

NO COVID CONCERN? Shoppers without mask at New Market on Thursday

Wearing a mask would not only save people from Corona but also from pollution. During winter pollutant particles in the air don’t go up, they are around you and harm your body as you breathe. Air quality index shows that air quality in the city is poor. So, it would only be advisable that people wear masks not only to prevent the spread of Coronavirus but to avoid breathing polluted air

—Subhash C Pandey ENVIRONMENTALIST