On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a virtual meeting with chief ministers to urgently deal what he called the “emerging second peak” of Covid-19 in the country. He discussed a worrying spike in infections in several states and said that “quick and decisive steps” are needed to combat another pan-Indian outbreak. A few hours later, when the day’s new Covid-19 cases were tallied from all states, the total came to 35,836 new infections — the highest number of single-day cases in the country in more than 100 days. In India’s worst-hit state, Maharashtra, Wednesday’s case toll (23,179) was the highest single-day rise since September 17, 2020 — that was a time when the country’s first Covid-19 wave was raging at its peak. Like in the first wave, the western state is again the first major hot spot region, and if things don’t change soon, it will be the first of many.
Coaxed into a sense of false security due to six months of declining cases, and a high degree of fatigue (for both people as well as governments) against the disease, there is an alarming degree of laxity at all levels. Testing numbers have been steadily dropping; the concept of contact-tracing has been reduced to just getting immediate family members of positive cases tested; and mask etiquette, as well as enforcement of social distancing norms, are near non-existent even in metros, leave alone smaller cities or rural areas.
It is now nearly a year since a nationwide lockdown was introduced on March 24, 2020 to fight the disease. Neither the economy nor citizens can cope with such strict measures again. The best way to fight the second wave, apart from strictly instituting Covid-19 management protocols, is to use the one advantage that the country did not have a year ago — vaccines. At present, people above the age of 60 or those older than 45 but with certain medical conditions can get doses. The government must, as this newspaper has consistently argued, relax the eligibility criteria. Protecting the ones most vulnerable is crucial, but a large number of infections are still among younger people who are more mobile, and likely to be the ones spreading the virus most. As Covid-19 numbers rise again, PM Modi’s warning is apt. The government’s policies need to reflect that sense of urgency.