Avoid crowds, it’s a decision that could save your life

This picture has been used for representational purpose

India's propensity for large gatherings could end up costing us dearly. The recent news report about permission given for the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar is frightening. The newly inducted Uttarakhand chief minister has said that a negative COVID report is not mandatory to attend the mela that will begin from April 1. Not surprising that he has now tested positive for the deadly virus. The previous CM had wisely made a negative RT-PCR report compulsory. A badly hit economy cannot be the reason to encourage such dangerous gatherings.

Why just the Kumbh Mela, the cricket legends tournament at Rajpur was held to a packed stadium, a tournament that was forced to stop last year amid COVID, and so was the series against England where crowds were banned only at the last few games after better sense prevailed. And then there are the election rallies being held across the country. The crowds being encouraged to come out to listen to the bhaashans in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Assam is a downright irresponsible move by local authorities. In none of these gatherings are the people or the politicians seen following COVID guidelines.

It is no wonder then that daily cases in India have hit the 50,000 mark. This ought to scare the daylights out of us, yet we seem unperturbed, returning to our social lives with a vengeance.

This country is sitting on a tinderbox. It would take very little to set off a catastrophe if we let down our guard and we very obviously seem to be doing that. Self-preservation should be our priority. We still think nothing of attending wedding receptions and birthday parties where even a gathering of 50 people should sound a warning bell. A report in this paper spoke of a mid-day scribe attending a gathering of eight people and returning with COVID. Even if the government is not holding a gun to our heads on avoiding crowds yet, let us do so for ourselves.