Lifting Covid restrictions doesn’t mean lowering our guards

The government's decision to lift all Covid-19 restrictions, however poorly implemented, comes as a relief as it means resuming, with greater confidence, what has been a frequently halted journey back to normalcy. After two years of living with varied degrees of restrictions—like maintaining social distancing, no congregation, no school or college, no public train/bus service, work from home, and so on—people are set to feel the taste of unrestricted life. However, the rule of wearing masks outside home will remain as a safety precaution.

The government decision comes following a steady decline in coronavirus transmission, with a 7.82 percent positivity rate recorded on Sunday. We're hopefully seeing an end to the Omicron scare which saw cases shoot up since early last month. It makes sense then that instructions have been given to reopen schools (secondary and higher) from today and primary schools on March 1. Understandably, all higher educational institutions will follow suit and all offices, both public and private, will go back to their pre-restriction routine. This will provide the citizens with the opportunity to rebuild their economy and education sectors, the two worst affected areas after public health.  

True, there has been widespread criticism over the government's handling of the Covid crisis since its outbreak in early 2020, but its response after the emergence of the Omicron variant, especially the ramping up of the vaccination drive, has been largely satisfactory. So far, 10.25 crore people, or around 86 percent of the target population, have been vaccinated with the first dose. The government has already introduced booster doses, initially for senior citizens and frontline workers, and is mulling vaccinating children under 12. The latter move, once underway, will help pre-teen students get back to their classrooms.

The danger, however, is not over, far from it actually. Although the positivity rate has fallen, people are still vulnerable to infections and attendant health challenges. A total of 21 Covid patients died in the 24 hours till 8 am on Sunday, raising the total number of Covid fatalities to 28,965. This is a time when we, all of us, need to be careful to make sure the declining positivity rate is not turned around. The media must play its role to increase vaccine awareness. The public must continue to wear masks and follow other health guidelines with due seriousness. And equally importantly, the government must bring all citizens under the vaccination coverage as soon as possible—thereby increasing the immunisation rate—and send a clear message about the importance of continued mask-wearing and social distancing. Letting our guards down before the virus is fully eliminated may prove to be perilous.