COVID-19 hit India in March 2020 and now again in February 2021and this time things are getting out of control. The 2021 crises of COVID-19 is being called the second wave of COVID-19 and are even more dangerous than the first one. But some people do not realize the seriousness of the situation and are not taking the necessary precautions. The second wave has become even more deadly due to an increase in the number of social gatherings, schools, malls being reopened, etc.
Updates On The Second Wave
On 10th February, at the beginning of the second wave, India confirmed 11,000 cases – and in the next 50 days, the daily average was around 22,000 cases. But in the following 10 days, cases rose sharply with the daily average reaching 89,800. The second wave is spreading much faster than the first wave.
The resources are limited and the cases are increasing each day. Many Indian cities are reporting a shortage of hospital beds and facilities to treat the patients. People are dying due to not getting timely treatment. In some states, the government is creating new facilities but it is hard to keep up with the pace of the rising cases of covid. Crematoriums have been running day and night in several cities, and people have to wait for hours to get the deceased cremated or buried.
States like Maharashtra, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Telangana, Delhi, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Andra Pradesh, and Karnataka have recorded the highest number of cases of coronavirus in the country. Every day, more than three lakh cases are being recorded in the country making India one of the worst-hit countries in the world.
Lockdown
Some states have imposed a total lockdown including Maharashtra. Due to recording the highest number of cases in the second wave lockdown has been imposed till May 15th.
In Delhi, the lockdown was imposed on May 3rd and is extended for another week. Also, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday announced free ration for all ration cardholders for a period of 2 months. “We have decided that all ration card holders in Delhi, around 72 lakhs in number, will be given free ration for the next 2 months,” said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. In Kerala, a night curfew has been imposed from 9 pm to 5 am. A complete weekend lockdown is imposed in Tamil Nadu, except for essential services.
Is Work From Home Getting On Your Nerve?
The Karnataka government also announced a 14-day lockdown in the state that started on April 27th. Jharkhand imposed a complete lockdown, exempting essential services in the state till May 6th. The Gujarat government has imposed a ‘mini lockdown’ in several cities across the state. Cities such as Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, Vadodara, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, Junagarh, Gandhinagar, and others will be under lockdown till May 5.
The Haryana government has imposed strict COVID-19 restrictions in the state till May 31. Bihar imposed lockdown till 15 May While some have implemented a strict curfew. States such as Nagaland, Tripura, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, and others are observing night curfew to control the spread of coronavirus transmission.
A local doctor said “We are in this situation because the government didn’t plan to augment facilities in remote areas. I am worried that many people in remote Himalayan areas will die and we will never hear about them. They will never show up in statistics.”
According to the recent updates, after these lockdowns and restrictions were imposed, the cases have started decreasing but the situation is not stable yet.
What we can do to stay Safe?
Precaution is better than the cure. So now is the time to take precautions to stop COVID-19 from spreading. Follow these basic steps-
- Wash your hands frequently,
- Use sanitizers,
- Wear two layers of masks whenever you go outside.
And do get vaccinated as soon as you can. The vaccine is the only successful way of stopping the deadly COVID-19 and has shown successful results in India. So get yourself registered and get vaccinated to be safe from this deadly virus.
