India’s Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan has done well to caution the citizens not to lower their guard despite the country noticing a decline in the numbers of positive Covid cases in the past few days (“Upcoming months crucial amid virus: Govt,” Aug. 27, Gulf Today).

His warnings that the surge in the second wave of Covid is not yet over should not be ignored by either the officials in the administrative machinery or people in general. But sadly, we tend to overlook such warnings. More so we don’t seem to learn from our past mistakes. Mass gathering are Covid super-spreaders, but we care less, even at the risk to our lives, that of our families and the society at large. Come any festivity and all caution is thrown to the wind. For example, the recent Onam celebrations were the prime reason for the deadly spurt in cases in Kerala.

Bhushan’s advice is timely. In the coming months, India will be celebrating a host of religious festivals Janmashtami, Ganeshotsav, Navratri and Diwali.

We have seen how deadly the second wave was for India, more specifically the Delta variant. So it would be foolhardy if we would once again drop guard. Social distancing and wearing of masks should be strictly enforced alongside restrictions on mass gatherings. The belief that we are all in this together should not be an adage.  Lives are lost because of our negligence. It’s time to stay responsible.

Carmen R
By email