AHMAD KASHMIRI

While doctors and health experts have sounded the alarm over worsening Covid-19 situation in Jammu and Kashmir, common people are caught between the devil and the deep sea as the precautions have loosened both at the government and at the community level. Parks and gardens have been thrown open for public, tourists are being welcomed, and community classes for students have been started. Shouldn’t it be a matter of concern that we are playing with lives here? These policy decisions should not be taken at a time when there is a surge in positive cases of the deadly virus. All experts and doctors are warning about the spread of the disease due to people not following precautions and instead roaming on roads and crowding markets like in normal times.
On paper the government machinery is very much functional, but on the ground the situation is different. Are we befooling ourselves? The introduction of community classes in villages and mohallas defies logic. Closing schools in cities but opening them in villages makes no sense. The online classes, even at low internet speed, were picking up and both students and teachers had adapted to this new medium. But suddenly the community classes were begun, disrupting the online classes and creating a mess. A class is a class, whether held in a school or in a private house or in an open area. It involves a gathering and increases the chances of infection. It not an easy task to ensure that SOPs are followed in a community class.
We have seen the rush at bank branches and now the result is in front of us. Scores of bank employees have tested positive for Covid-19, even at JK Bank headquarters in Srinagar. Unruly people are a danger to everyone. Only foolproof systems can ensure safety.

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