With lifting of lockdown and reopening of economic activities, Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) on Wednesday warned against Covid-19 complacency, saying public must continue to adhere to the health guidelines in order to avoid a catastrophic slipup.
“We are not out of woods yet. Covid is far from over and we must not lower our guard,” cautioned DAK President and influenza expert Dr Nisar ul Hassan.
“We cannot be complacent because this is a very dynamic situation and we are discovering new things every day in terms of the spread and in terms of the nature of the novel virus,” he said.
Dr Nisar said many people don’t wear masks and they don’t care for social distancing.
“If people are not careful and don’t act responsibly, the situation will spin out of control,” he added.
Dr Nisar said people should not misinterpret reopening and believe that the switch has been flipped and we are back to normal.
“We are witnessing surge in cases since the unlock began. Kashmir has recorded more than 1500 new cases in ten days of reopening with over 100 cases being reported every day,” he said.
Dr Nisar said people should continue to practice hand washing, cough etiquette and avoid gatherings, and stay home if they are down with fever and cough.
“The virus can become dangerous if people abandon precautionary measures,” he said adding “with no vaccine, these measures are the only effective tools to tackle the virus.”
Dr Nisar said most of the population in Kashmir is susceptible to Covid infection – that means epidemic can easily reignite.
“If there is a change in virus and the virus behaves differently and becomes more virulent which can happen, there can be more fatalities,” he said.
“With the easing of restrictions, it is necessary to prepare for the arrival of new waves of the virus that could be stronger,” said Dr Nisar.
