No room for complacency

Though COVID infection rate is on the decline, new variants, growing cases in western countries and some Indian States indicate COVID-appropriate behaviour can’t be ignored

Nineteen months ago, Andhra Pradesh had officially reported its first COVID-19 infection on March 12, 2020. The State witnessed two waves of COVID-19 and a peak of about 24,000 cases a day in May this year. Since then, the incidence of COVID-19 infections has come down gradually to about 200-300 infections a day currently.

As the infections have come down, the observance of COVID-appropriate behaviour (CAB) has gone for a toss. Though the COVID infection rate is on the decline, the emergence of several new variants of the virus, the third wave of infections in western countries and the rising incidence of infection rate in other Indian States call for continued focus on CAB.

Many people and organisations have given up COVID safety measures and it is evident at private and public gatherings and public places like bus stations, hotels, cinemas and other commercial establishments where people without masks are seen regularly. Under similar circumstances, when it was assumed that the pandemic was over, the second wave surged resulting in nearly six lakh infections in May.