oppn parties Not Wearing A Mask In Public Is Anti-Social Behavior

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  • Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta agreed with the SC and informed the court that the government will tighten rules to block social media accounts of under 18-year olds
  • Defence Secretary R K Singh said India has not yet taken a decision on acquiring Russia’s Su-57 fighter, while indicating that India is increasingly looking to artificial-intelligence-enabled networks and other technologies to address capability gaps. The comments came amid continued Russian efforts to promote the stealth fighter to India
  • The Supreme Court Collegium recommended the elevation of Gujarat High Court Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal, Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Telangana High Court Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh to the Supreme Court. If appointed, the court would have 37 judges against a sanctioned strength of 38
  • Calcutta HC wonders that what remains if the Election Commission is guided by private party, as it heard the case of EC granting the 'envelope' symbol, previously used by Indian Secular Front, to the Ritabrata faction of TMC
  • The Supreme Court directed the Election Commission to decide the dispute between rival Trinamool Congress factions over the party name and “flowers and grass” symbol within three months, after giving the sides four weeks to complete their pleadings. The order came on Mamata Banerjee’s challenge to the EC’s interim freezing of the name and symbol
  • The Supreme Court refused to stay the proposed Merchant Discount Rate on specified UPI merchant transactions above ₹2,000 and sought an affidavit from the Centre explaining the legal and policy basis for the levy, which is scheduled to take effect on October 15. RBI and NPCI have also been asked to respond
  • The Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance of a recent spate of rape cases in Delhi-NCR, describing them as indicative of a “systematic failure” by law-enforcement and public authorities to ensure basic public safety. The court directed that a suo motu PIL be registered and listed for hearing
  • The Supreme Court agreed to examine the challenge to the Bombay High Court’s acquittal of 22 accused in the 2005 Sohrabuddin Shaikh encounter case, including 21 police personnel, but declined to reopen the discharge of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The bench said it would examine selected witness statements relevant to the acquittals
  • The Supreme Court reserved its verdict on the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s timeline for introducing front-of-pack warning labels on packaged foods high in sugar, salt and fat. The court indicated that the regulator’s prescribed timeline appeared unreasonable while stressing the importance of the issue for public health
  • The nationwide three-day bank strike began, with unions pressing for a five-day working week and other employment and pension-related demands. The timing coincides with the banking sector’s half-yearly closing, raising concerns about disruption to branch-based services and financial transactions
  • Tata Trusts proposed merging Tata Electronics Systems Solutions and Tata Consulting Engineers into Tata Sons in a restructuring aimed at taking the holding company outside the RBI’s NBFC and Core Investment Company classifications. The proposal is designed to preserve Tata Sons as an unlisted private company but requires board and regulatory approvals, including an RBI no-objection certificate
  • Indian equities suffered another sharp sell-off, with the Sensex falling 1,124.02 points, or 1.52%, to 72,771.72 and the Nifty dropping 360.25 points, or 1.56%, to 22,780.25, both at six-month lows. Rising crude prices, foreign selling and geopolitical uncertainty weighed on the market
  • Rains play spoilsport in cricket as no matches were held and India and Pakistan advanced to the semifinals due to their higher ranking
  • Esha Singh wins silver in 25m pistol
  • India produced its biggest single-day medal haul of the Asian Games so far, winning eight medals on Monday, including four silver and four bronze. Yash Vir Singh and Rohit Yadav took silver and bronze in javelin, Gulveer Singh won silver in the 1,500m, and India’s men’s hockey team beat Bangladesh 10-0 to top its pool and set up a semifinal against Pakistan; India’s tally reached 45 medals
Asian Games: Neeru Dhanda wins GOLD in women's individual trap, ending the 'curse' in individual events
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Not Wearing A Mask In Public Is Anti-Social Behavior

By Linus Garg
First publised on 2022-06-03 11:21:47

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.

With Covid returning in Maharashtra and Kerala, it is scary to venture out and find that nearly 99% of the people (in Kolkata) do not wear masks and think nothing about coming close to others also not wearing a mask or even shake hands with people without using sanitizers. Yes it is clear that the virus has receded, but as the upswing in cases (Maharashtra recorded more than 1000 cases on Wednesday) is some states shows, it has not gone away completely and the rising cases are a warning that laxity (like completely dispensing with masking in public spaces and doing away with hand sanitization or overcrowding) will give it an opportunity to make a comeback.

States like Maharashtra and Kerala and areas like NCR, where the incidence of cases was always higher than the rest of the country, made a big mistake when they did away with compulsory masking. It is true that with a severe heat wave running through a major part of the country, using the mask at all times is problematic. But not using it and inviting the virus to comeback is even more problematic. Hence, even if the mask is not worn inside offices, it must be made compulsory on public transport, streets and events. It is the first defence against the virus and must be used extensively for one's own safety and for the safety of others and the good of the community.

Also, after the third wave receded, the vaccination drive was also not given the same importance as before. But the fact remains that vaccination still remains the strongest shield against fatal infection. The third dose numbers are poor in India. As vaccine immunity wanes in 6-9 months, it is imperative that those who have not taken the third dose do so immediately. The government must take steps to jab those whose third dose is due. The economic and healthcare costs of another Covid wave will be devastating. Hence, we must take steps to prevent it. Let's not be 'Covidiots'.

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