India has already sent vaccines to about 20 countries around the world. The world is appreciating this humanitarian approach of India. In this regard it has been said that the World Managed to conquer Covid-19 because of India’s Tremendous Pharmaceutical Capacity and Prime Minister Narender Modi’s leadership in sharing this capacity with the world. But shockingly, after a gap of couple of days, COVID-19 positive cases in Jammu & Kashmir Union Territory have once more crossed three- digit mark. Till 25th Feb, 31 fresh cases of COVID-19 have been reported from Jammu region – 23 in Udhampur and eight in Jammu District. In the meanwhile, 77 fresh cases of COVID-19 have been reported from Kashmir
COVID-19 pandemic is down but not out. It has subsided a little because of the Union Government’s well planned and appreciably executed policies and programs including the exemplary services rendered by the Covid-19 Warriors and the personnel of the law enforcing agencies, with due professional skill and speed. The ever-increasing General Public Awareness and the sense of responsibility exhibited by the general masses, have contributed much in curbing the spread of this menace.
Unfortunately, during the past few weeks due to lifting of almost all restrictions including the cap on the number of the people participating in marriage functions, social gatherings, public meetings etc , the people have been seen as giving a casual approach towards a number of precautionary and preventive steps in spite of the fact that not only the administration but the medical experts have all along been advising to make it a habit to wear masks and maintain ‘Do Gajj Ki Doori’ and a regular use of sanitizers and handwashing etc. etc.
Almost similar situations prevail in many other States/ Union Territories in India. In this regard the Centre has deputed high level 3-Member multi-disciplinary teams headed by Joint Secretary Level Officers in the Health Ministry, to 10 States and Union Territories for supporting local administration in public health measures for targeted COVID response, management and tackling the pandemic effectively. The States/ UTs where the teams have been deputed, include Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. In this regard, in the letter written by the Union Health Secretary, these States/UTs have been exhorted to focus on initiating aggressive measures to break the chain of transmission besides ensuring that RT-PCR testing is simplified and, so far ‘undetected cases’ are flushed out, from the population.
Jammu & Kashmir Union Territory is a tourist destination for the tourists from the country and abroad. It is therefore necessary to take all preventive and precautionary steps at all the entry points, including Lakhanpur, railway station and the airport.
Appreciably, India has surpassed many advanced countries in the number of people having been administered vaccine while the process to vaccinate the remaining population is going on, as such the continuation of deterrents, against those breaching the precautionary norms, are a necessary evil.