As the country is all set to reopen tomorrow (21) after many lockdowns, doubts and misgivings are being expressed in medical quarters on the feasibility of such a course when witnessing the cavalier behaviour of the public for whom the pandemic appears to have never visited Sri Lanka.
If media reports quoting medical experts are anything to go by, the long weekend saw another replay of the last New Year holiday period when holidaymakers seized a break in the lockdown to let their hair down and engage in revelry throwing all caution to the wind.
According to the Director General of Health Services Dr. Asela Gunawardane, Nuwara-Eliya resembled the scenes of last April where people flocked to hotels and holiday resorts with gay abandon behaving in an irresponsible manner as if the pandemic never existed. He warned that if things proceeded in this fashion, the restrictions will have to be put in place until December.
He said people appear to be taking things for granted which is evident by their behaviour during the long weekend and the public will have to act with a sense of responsibility to keep the Coronavirus at bay.
Deputy Director General of Health Services Dr. Hemantha Herath said; “We saw how people were behaving over the weekend. They went on trips and are having parties. This is extremely irresponsible and shocking. There are 600 cases being reported in the country on a daily basis still. We saw similar irresponsible behaviour a few months back and had to pay a heavy price.”
Meanwhile, the PHIs warn that asymptomatic cases are on the rise. One wonders whether reports of diminishing numbers of Coronavirus cases and deaths had lulled the public into a sense of complacency leading them to believe the pandemic is behind us.
This newspaper in its Monday’s edition headlined a report which stated that 30 COVID-19 centres had closed down with the sharp drop in the number of cases and that over 19,600 beds occupied by COVID-19 patients were now vacant. Have such positive reports regularly carried on television given the Green light for the public to dispense with all health protocols? CMC Chief Medical officer Dr. Ruwan Wijayamuni disclosed how during a personal tour of the Colombo City, he witnessed shops and main streets teeming with people and workers minus the face masks.
The Government has come in for all round praise for its highly successful vaccination drive to combat the Coronavirus. But will all the good work come unstuck due to irresponsible behaviour of the public? One has to keep in mind that a sizable segment of the younger generation, particularly within the Colombo City, has refused the jab, leaving many others vulnerable.
The country is just two weeks away from acquiring full herd immunity with the vaccination of 70 percent of the population. Are we going to throw it all away by stupid acts by the public?
With large segments mingling sans face masks and the youth population saying ‘No’ to the vaccine due to various reasons, isn’t there a real possibility of those already fully vaccinated getting themselves re-infected leading to another rise in the now dwindling number of positive cases taking us back to square one?
Meanwhile, another medical expert warned that bringing the full complement of the workforce to offices would be premature. The last time around when the country briefly reopened one witnessed the chaotic situation in public transport where buses were loaded to capacity and trains had commuters spilling out of compartments. Needless to say, the relaxation of restrictions was short lived and the country was forced back into lockdown after only three days.
Now with trains to start operating from tomorrow what guarantee is there of a non-repetition. The danger is magnified considering that the large volume of train commuters are office workers and a bulk among them are attached to Government Departments. Hence the need for getting down only those whose services are essential for efficient running of offices if we are to avoid another explosion of the virus.
What will be the use of all those colossal amounts spent to import vaccines? Will it be money down the drain? What of the efforts of the Security Forces and medical staff who have been working round the clock to ensure the success of the vaccination programme? The authorities should explore all available avenues to ensure that the vaccination programme does not come a cropper. Proper awareness programmes should be carried out to dispel all misconceptions surrounding the vaccines, targeting the youth.
The young who are reluctant to take the vaccine should be mindful that, very soon, the school going population too will be given the jab. This will make vaccination almost compulsory for all schoolgoers under a uniform system. This ought to convince those shying away from the vaccine that it poses absolutely no danger.
The country certainly will no longer have any stomach to endure another large scale spread of the virus. Nor the economy another bout of lockdowns. Hard decisions are called for, even unpopular ones.
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