- The new variant Omicron has already created a desperate frenzy all over the globe is vastly visible what with several countries reporting the emergency of the virus and the subsequent precautionary measures being implemented to curb the spread. The Indian Union Government too was proactive in its moves holding meetings involving experts as well as coming out with measures to tackle the emerging concern. Once bitten, twice shy goes the popular saying as the entire country witnessed how the debilitating effects of the second Covid wave have left an indelible scar on our collective psyche.
PC: TELANGANA TODAY
- No denying the fact that each state should adopt effective measures to thwart the virus spread by following guidelines issued by the Union Health Ministry. However, some states are going overboard in imposing restrictions which is significantly divergent from the Centre’s Omicron advisory. Take, for instance, Maharashtra’s stringent Covid norms for international and domestic air travelers provoked a strong response from the latter, and as such, had to be largely rolled back. Mind you, air travel is regulated by the Government of India and if every state begins to impose its own set of regulations, this is a recipe for chaos especially in the busy December holiday season for travel and tourism.
- We know that the hospitality industry alongside the services industry is yet to show signs of recovery. As such, the Government of India’s norms is reasonable mandating RT-PCR test for some high-risk countries and home quarantine for all international travelers for seven days. Against this backdrop, Maharashtra’s augmentations like mandatory testing of all international passengers followed by 14-day quarantine apart from domestic travelers having to produce RT-PCR test results grossly failed to see the big picture. Note that contradictory regulations proliferating across states are only going to endanger the still uneven economic recovery.
PC: Suraksha P
- As widely reported, the overall GDP in the July-September quarter has exceeded the pre-pandemic benchmark of the same period in 2019. However, private consumption and activity in contact-intensive sectors such as trade and hotels employing many informal workers continue to remain below the 2019 mark. Further, experience denotes that interstate travel restrictions hardly work given the uniformly high seroprevalence across most states. Therefore, every state must ramp up testing, especially using RT-PCR test kits that check for the S-gene. The medical fraternity mentions that missing S-gene is seen as a potential proxy indicator of Omicron, which can be later confirmed by genome sequencing.
- It is concerning to note our genome sequencing of samples is a mere 3% but should be ramped up to at least 10% to better understand the yet uncertain/unknown traits of the new variant. The new testing norm introduced are already leading to crowded airports thereby becoming a contagion risk. Thus, more rapid PCR tests with a one-hour turnaround time should be available to travellers to lessen their burden. Finally, states must reserve blunt legal instruments allowing extraordinary movement curbs under the Disaster Management Act and Epidemic Diseases Act for emergencies alone. India cannot afford more economic shocks in the form of lockdowns and stifling restrictions. Make no mistake, being smart is more rewarding than being hasty. Of course, do not forget to observe Covid appropriate behaviour too.
