Asian Tribune 26 March 2021

English Page
Issue 277 (6) Asian Tribune 26 March, 2021
Editorial
Covid resurgence
Exactly a year after India imposed
the world’s strictest lockdown in
order to contain Covid-19, the second
wave of the pandemic is spreading
across the country. The daily caseload
has reached around 47,000, the highest
in the past four months or so, even
as the fresh coronavirus infections have
been rising at a faster rate than the recoveries
for the past over 10 days. The
worst-affected states have started reimposing
restrictions, with Punjab enforcing
night curfew in the districts
where the situation is deteriorating fast.
The efficacy of such steps, however,
remains questionable.
The nationwide lockdown from
March-end to May-end last year had impacted
millions of lives as well as livelihoods.
The economy, which had
slipped into recession, is still struggling
to regain the pre-Covid growth rate.
Going by this nightmarish experience,
another lockdown is ruled out. The
Maharashtra Government has made it
clear that people must follow Covid-19
safety protocols if the state is to avoid
another lockdown. This holds true for
the rest of the country as well. The basic
drill — wearing masks, washing
hands and maintaining social distancing
— is still as relevant, if not more, as
it was a year ago. The violators should
be strictly dealt with as per the law so
that it deters others from becoming
reckless. Even though the election season
is in full swing, the onus is on political
leaders to encourage Covid-appropriate
behaviour at rallies and exhort
their supporters to arrange smaller
gatherings. Political and social congregations
that turn out to be superspreaders
of the virus will jeopardise
India’s valiant fight against the pandemic.
It is also critical to extend the
vaccination programme beyond the
limit of 45 years set by the Centre on
Tuesday. People in the working age
group (25-60 years) need to be covered
at the earliest so that they can keep
contributing to economic recovery without
the fear of getting infected. Though
the daily caseload is rising, it is nowhere
near the peak of around 98,000 that
was witnessed in September last year.
This should inspire confidence among
all stakeholders and spur them to
minimise the damage caused by the
second wave.
Yash Sharma
Quad’s rise augurs well for India-Oz trade ties
Editorial Team
Prof . Harjinder Walia,
Ph.D (Journalism)
Former Head of Journalism
Punjabi Universty Patiala. (Punjab) India
Patron
Yash Sharma,
M.Sc (Hons), DMM
Publisher & Editor in Chief
780-200-0246
Sat Paul Kaushal
Associate Editor, Calgary
403 903 8500
Raghbir Bilaspuri
Bureau Chief ( Punjabi)
Sunny Sharma
Bureau Chief (English)
Atul Seth, CPA,CGA
Financial & Management Consultant
Tejinder Singh Bhateja
Advisor(Marketing)
587 889 2340
Anita Sharma
M.A.(Hindi)
Bureau Chief (Hindi)
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