22 Jan 2022  |   05:11am IST

Of Shields, Swords and Masks

Of Shields, Swords and Masks

Agnelo Pires

With the Omicron virus darkening the mother Earth unexpectedly and with the cloud of uncertainty brought about by the pandemic, people are literally struggling to keep their body and soul together, day in and day out. It has not only become difficult for most of the people to keep their home fires burning but the present situation has also snatched away the pearls of peace from everyone’s homes. Children are practically in house arrest making them unable to gather the rosebuds of school life. There is no denying the fact that the last couple of years have been donkey’s years of doom and gloom. The deadly virus in a way has forced people to dot their I’s and cross T’s every time they step out of their homes.

Truth need not be stretched to pinpoint that if all the people had followed the right protocol of keeping the Covid at bay, story would definitely have been different today. No means were spared to deliver the message loud and clear by the health officials and the government to follow protocols of safety for one’s own good and the good of others. Making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear was a call given to all. People became reluctant to give heed to it. Caution is still being thrown to the winds by all and sundry. Face mask was and still is one’s best shield and a sword to win the battle against the present invisible enemy. 

It is the carelessness of the people, their ‘damn the torpedoes’ attitude that is primarily responsible for the increase in positive cases in India as well as in Goa. Be it a local or a tourist it’s just the two sides of the same coin. Masks worn especially without covering the nose is a reason enough even to make the angels weep. Keeping a safe distance from each other and using sanitisers is long forgotten. Crowded public transport, market places, malls and vegetable markets are a living proof of such a worsening situation. Some people even go an extra mile to remove their mask before coughing and sneezing publicly. Unfortunately, people got hold of the wrong end of the stick as far as the health protocols are concerned. In such situations, a single or a double dose vax cannot doyabradabra to save those who take precaution.

Moreover, soon there will be whistle-stop campaigning by the candidates to woo the voters in their constituencies as the assembly elections are at the door-step. People’s safety is hanging by a thread. Door to door visits, mammoth gatherings and crowded corner meetings should be avoided to take the bull of Corona virus by the horns by all the people.

Citizens, young and old are still vulnerable beyond an iota of doubt. The enemy is still out there. Desperate times calls for desperate measures. Making wearing of masks in all public areas mandatory, or rather even making it lawful will be the best step forward. Authorities should not hesitate to enforce such strict measures. Strict punishment will bring those who break the rule to their senses. Carrot and stick approach is the need of the hour. Otherwise, the light at the end of the tunnel will only remain as a distant dream.


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