Where Is Covid-Appropriate Behavior? Or Even Common Sense?
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.
View all posts by this Author
By Linus Garg
First publised on 2021-07-07 08:35:33
About the Author
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.
View all posts by this Author
The hill stations of north India are chock-a-clock with the so-called "revenge" tourists. Most of them have headed to the hills to escape from the heat in the plains. But in doing so, they have thrown all caution to the winds and have been crowding markets places in these hill stations, not wearing masks and not maintaining physical distance. The Centre has been constrained to take note and issue a warning that such travel and such behavior can jeopardize the gains achieved through imposing localized restrictions and create fresh Covid cases. At this rate, there is the danger that the hill stations will become the next Covid hotspots.
Pictures in the media have shown people moving about hill stations without a care in the world. It seems that on reaching the hills, they have forgotten that the virus still exists. Shimla, Manali, Dharmashala and other hill stations close to Delhi, Punjab and Haryana are the worst affected. All hotels are booked and there is an endless stream of people making a beeline for these hill stations. The roads, lanes and bylanes, as also the markets, of these hill stations are teeming with tourists. They seldom wear masks and given the size of the crowd, it is impossible for them to maintain physical distance. Are they not worried about the health and well-being of their family, self and others around them? Have they abandoned common sense?
A video (not verified) uploaded by a user on Twitter shows a small boy with a stick in a market in Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) prodding people to wear masks as an endless stream of people, including families with kids, go past him without wearing one. The video is extremely disturbing and shows that educated people who have the wherewithal and the inclination to head to the hills in these troubled times do not have the common sense of following Covid-appropriate behavior for self-preservation and to prevent the virus from spreading once again. The hill station authorities must enforce the rules under the Disaster Management Act with a strong hand.
Picture courtesy: screengrab from a video uploaded by Twitter user @iPradeepSangwan
