While India struggles to contain the second wave of the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic as the country in the last 24 hours has yet again recorded over 4 lakh cases of the virus, a shocking incident in Maharashtra’s Nagpur has surfaced. Despite the state being in lockdown till May 15, people flocked in large numbers at market areas in Nagpur. The failure of the Uddhav Thackeray administration in implementing the lockdown will only invite the third wave of the China-made pandemic.
In open defiance of the stringent Covid-related norms laid in the state of Maharashtra, Nagpur’s market areas witnessed large swathes of people with social distancing going for a toss.
Maharashtra | People gather in large numbers at market areas in Nagpur. The state is under lockdown till May 15 to curb the COVID surge pic.twitter.com/AlO9HFNKoB
— ANI (@ANI) May 9, 2021
It seems as if the Uddhav government has not learnt from the second wave of the Wuhan coronavirus and is openly inviting the state to witness another deadly wave of the virus. Maharashtra is a major contributor in terms of the cases of the virus in the second wave and the Uddhav government must take stricter action against those flouting the Covid norms.
Recently, India Today Executive Director Shiv Aroor took to Twitter to post a shocking visual where large crowds can be seen flocking the markets at Charminar, old Hyderabad on the eve of Eid as they collectively violated almost every Covid-19 norm. Forget social distancing, in the video many people can be seen roaming without masks.
In another incident, after attending a retreat at Munnar, 100 Church of South India (CSI) priests were reportedly infected with Covid-19. Unfortunately, out of the infected lot, two of the priests passed away with five others are reportedly in a serious condition.
Jacob Mathew, secretary of Church of South India Trust Association and member of the Joint Christian Council alleged, “The annual retreats of Central Kerala Diocese and Kochi diocese were also scheduled last month and they were postponed due to a surge in Covid cases. But CSI South Kerala held the retreat secretly at Munnar without informing the government. As per the government instructions, only 50 people are allowed in a conference. But here all safety guidelines went for a toss.”
Meanwhile, in Gujarat’s Sanand, scores of women gathered violating the strict Covid norms in the state to offer prayers at the Baliyadev temple which could spell trouble for Ahmedabad which is already reeling from the rapidly rising cases of the Wuhan coronavirus.
It is increasingly clear that public gatherings are becoming a cause of huge concern across the country and the respective governments must crackdown on those who are flouting the Covid-related norms.
