COIMBATORE: People seem to have let their guard down against
Covid-19
in the absence of strict enforcement of preventive measures.
Pointing out that people were now caring less about wearing face masks and maintaining social distancing at public places, health officials said such a behaviour could trigger the virus spread, which had come down in recent weeks.
K Parthiban, 45, a pharmacist from Ramanathapuram, said while the face mask was mandatory to travel in public transport in the city earlier, the situation had changed now. “I travel in TNSTC bus to Gandhipuram daily. There was a time when people were asked to get down from buses for not wearing a face mask. But now conductors are neither insisting on it nor do they wear one.”
S Shalini, 20, a graduate student of a city college, said she was finding it odd to wear a face mask after the college hours. “None of my friends wear them while returning home from college, as the caseload has dropped. I also don’t wear face mask, as I don’t want to spoil their mood.”
D Shanmugam, a schoolteacher from Keeranatham, said many parents were allowing their wards to walk on the streets without a face mask, while making them wear one before entering the school.
Representative of a textile outlet at Town Hall said they had stopped asking customers to produce vaccination certificates, as they were insisting on checking the temperature instead. The district administration had made it mandatory for the people to produce vaccination certificate to gain access to places of mass gatherings from September last week, as part of its efforts to encourage people to get inoculated.
Malls, theatres and shopping centres have, however, put up boards stating face mask was mandatory. “But there is no effective monitoring. In Kerala, shops are fined Rs10,000 for allowing people without face mask, while the people are fined Rs500. Such measures are needed to enforce Covid norms. Otherwise, cases will go up, forcing another lockdown,” said R Raveendran, a member of Namma Kovai NGO.
P Aruna, deputy director of health services, said people were of the feeling that they were safe without face masks, as there was no spike in virus spread after Diwali, when they had crowded shopping centres and recreational facilities. “Such an attitude may backfire, as the virus is still in the community. Cases may go up, if people don’t follow Covid norms.”
District collector
G S Sameeran
said they were planning to tighten the enforcement, considering the Omicron variant that was identified in a few countries. “Covering the eligible population with the second dose of vaccine will be ensured in the coming days. This will help the community develop antibodies to check the spread.”
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