CCMB Director urges govts to halt crowding activities

‘People meeting in groups is a recipe for disaster’

There is an immediate need for the governments to control all the activities involving clustering of people into groups to control the current “dangerous” trend in the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the country and across many States, assert top scientists involved in combating the SARS-CoV-2 virus on Friday. Congregations and group activities to be curtailed include political meetings, rallies, road shows, markets, religious gatherings, cinema halls, restaurants, bars, pubs and any indoor events. “People meeting in groups in any of these activities is a recipe for disaster. We have to minimise crowding because lockdowns affect the economy and livelihoods, so we have to ensure non-essential things are stopped,” said CSIR-Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB) director Rakesh Mishra. “If we have to keep a control on the virus, we have to wear masks all the time when we step outside the house even for walking the dog, or it is like being naked. There is no need to invite guests home for the next few months and ensure hand hygiene is practised. It may also be prudent to change clothes after an outdoor visit to be doubly cautious,” he suggests.