Farmers Movement Archive

Scant regard for social distancing

Jalandhar, August 30Two days ago, a huge traffic jam near the Cantt Sabzi mandi made commuting a harrowing experience for residents of the area.Hundreds of buyers and sellers visit the Maqsoodan mandi everyday with scant regard to the Covid-19 protocol. With protests also becoming a common sight in the district, the idea of social distancing seems to be far cry.Even as the unlock phase gained momentum, scant regard to Covid protocol made lives miserable for many and is adding to the ever rising district tally.Sujan Singh, whose daughter works at a local bank, said, “Four employees at my daughter’s workplace have tested positive. We have got her tested thrice as well. Both me and my wife are aged above 60. We also have small children at our home. If any of us tests positive, things will be very difficult. There are colleagues at workplace who don’t pay attention to the protocol. It can land us in trouble. My daughter is thinking of applying for a medical leave to ensure our heath is taken care of. In this scenario, economic and health worries can jointly take a toll on us. It is difficult to make simple choices for survival.”Manjit, a Jalandhar Cantt resident, said, “There are long queues in the market. Many people roam around in the market without mask. Wrongly-parked vehicles cause jam and congestion in the city. Amidst community spread, such hectic market activity is bound to result in an increased toll.” With Jalandhar tally standing at 6,462 today, health authorities have cited the relaxed guidelines during unlock regulations to be the cause of a spike in cases.In August alone, cases have risen from 2,517 to 6,462. The toll in August comprises young people between the age groups of 25 to 40.Places with massive crowd are usually mandis, markets, workplaces and protesting sites. So far, those tested positive in the district include doctors, officials, politicians and journalists. Out of these, many residents are from congested areas.Two die, 42 test positive in HoshiarpurOn Sunday, 42 new Covid-19 cases were reported in the district, while two patients died, taking the toll to 41. Civil Surgeon Dr Jasvir Singh said 23 cases were from Hoshiarpur city, three each from Mand Bhandar, Bhunga and Paldi; two each from Dasuya, Garhshankar, Harta Badla; one each from Chakkowal, Hajipur, Mukerian, Posi health centre. Covid-19 patient Gurpreet Kaur (66), a resident of village Chakka Ladian, died at a private hospital in Jalandhar, while Suraj Sharma (44), a resident of Indira Colony, Hoshiarpur, died at a hospital in Ludhiana. There are total 1,495 positive patients, of which 429 are active cases and 1,026 patients have recovered. OCDistrict count 6,462Deaths 160Recoveries 4,197

The Tribune

2020-08-31