Editorial
Unrelenting virus
Those at the bottom of the economic pyramid have to face the brunt of any extreme measures.Just as we think that life is returning to normal and it’s all smooth sailing, the discovery of a new variant sends the world scrambling for cover. It tends to disrupt normalcy. Arrangements to get our life to the pre-pandemic days are again revised with more unique restrictions in movement, multiple tests to establish that travellers are still negative when they begin their journey and days after they arrive. This never-ending saga has had disastrous effects on people’s behaviour; how we interact has exerted immense pressure on mental health.
There seems to be no respite at all. Over the last few weeks, we have witnessed a jump in the number of cases in Europe. A few countries like France and UK have, for the moment, decided not to plunge their countries into lockdown, while others are faced with no safer bet than to enforce it. It is the speed of virus spread that catches everyone unawares. Germany, Austria and Netherlands went from barely a few hundred cases a day to a couple of thousands within weeks. This alarming increase has once again left the authorities baffled despite significantly high vaccination rates.
In Nepal, on November 21, the total vaccination was around 27 percent. For the past couple of weeks, we have seen a remarkable drop in the number of new cases. But the decline in cases often reflects the number of tests undertaken. We have managed to avert any severe crises for the moment. But with the discovery of the Omicron variant first reported in South Africa on November 24, the authorities and the people have to up their ante regarding Covid-19 protocols. There needs to be a sense of urgency for the unvaccinated to get their doses now. As the trend indicates, those that are unvaccinated remain most vulnerable to suffer the devastating impact of the virus.
For Nepal, the new variant comes when we have successfully celebrated festivities and have taken steps to allow the children back to school again. But lessons from the past indicate that we should not count on our good fortune of not contracting Covid-19. Instead, it is up to us to create a safer environment for ourselves and those around us. The initiative to follow guidelines needs to come from all segments of society, whether the government or academia or business. Preventative measures at airports and other border crossings need to be reinstated.
The virus has been around, and it only takes a single case to disrupt normalcy and send us scurrying for cover. Those at the bottom of the economic pyramid have to face the brunt of any extreme measures. Let the Omicron variant serve as a reminder that we are not entirely out of the woods yet and still need vigilance to avert another period of confinement.