Frenzied shopping heightens concern of COVID-19 surge

December 21, 2020 45 Views No Comment

Staff Reporter DIMAPUR, DEC 20 (NPN) : With Christmas around the corner, people throng markets in a frenzied last-minute shopping and throwing all SOP guidelines to the wind. Even roads were clogged with traffic.

The frenzied shopping also indicated that the ban on Sunday shopping evoked poor response. Most of the shoppers came from peripheral areas of Dimapur as well as from other rural areas.

With hundreds coming to shop daily from other far flung areas, there has been considerable concern of hastening spread of COVID-19 to rural areas where health care system is woefully inadequate. A large number of shoppers had practically dispensed with wearing face mask, among the most essential protection against spread of COVID.

It may also be recalled that on Saturday, the state Health & Family Welfare department expressed alarm that the “State was at risk of widespread community transmission” as many were not following the COVID-19 appropriate behaviours.

Further the H&FW department has also warned that December/winter month and the festive season was crucial for containing the spread of the virus. It had also said that Nagaland was “witnessing events and social gatherings on an alarming scale.”

A senior medical practitioner told this reporter that after months of taking precautions, people’s general attitude towards COVID guidelines has become lackadaisical. He said many who are asymptomatic don’t realise the danger of ignoring COVID-19 SOPs. The doctor expressed concern that such asymptomatic persons, mostly young people, could be inadvertently spreading the virus to the higher risk groups and those with co-morbidity.

Fearing surge in Covid-19 spread amid high footfalls in the market places during the festive season in the country, the Health ministry on December 2 issued Standard operating Procedures (SOPs) on the preventive and precautionary measures to be followed to contain the spread of virus.

The ministry had also asked state authorities to levy fines/penalties on defaulters for not wearing mask/face cover, or for not following physical distancing norms etc.

Source: http://www.nagalandpost.com/frenzied-shopping-heightens-concern-of-covid-19-surge/226410.html