Infection not over, people should adhere to set guidelines: Expert

BARAMULLA: Even with Covid 19 showing no signs of decreasing , people in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district are not following the guidelines issued by the health department and government.
Locals said that only few people in markets, offices, and at other public places are wearing face masks and only few people are sanitizing, washing their hands regularly, and the concerned agencies are watching it as mute spectators.
They said approximately 10 percent people wear face masks while a similar percentage of people are not shaking hands with their friends and relatives in Baramulla, Sopore, Pattan and at other places.
People are following social distance in markets, passenger vehicles or at offices, despite the fact that a large number of people have been infected by the virus and involved in Covid 19 a good number of people even losing their lives.
The eyewitness said that people are wearing masks only inside the hospital or during visits and at few other offices like schools and government institutes, when they are coming out from these places they are roaming free without masks and without adhering to social distances and the concerned agencies who are responsible are not acting.
In the first months of this year, when virus started the people followed all the guidelines issued by the health department, the police, CRPF and other agencies were also forcing people to follow the guidelines, the people were seen following SOP’s properly, no one was shaking hands with others, all the people were wearing face cover masks and sanitizing hands, however as the time passed the people became compiliciant that is why it is increasing day by day, not only general public, the doctors and other employees of health department are also not following the SOP’s issued by the health department and government, resulting it is increasing every passing day.
The people should follow the SOP’s and the administration should take serious steps against the violators otherwise we can lose more precious lives as the infection is still contagious, a senior doctor of Baramulla told Kashmir Reader.
He said, face masks are almost free at all health centres, the price of sanitizers are now very cheap and there should be no problem for everyone when they cannot shake hands with others, doctors should advise patients to follow the guidelines after that we can say about the control on virus. He added.

Mushtaq Ahamd