Is it right to bend Covid protocols for some — this the question on everyone’s mind, but none dare to ask for fear of a backlash from certain quarters.
According to the present scheme of things in Kerala with the pandemic surging like never before and when Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan himself said on Monday that the number of active cases will touch six lakhs by the end of the week, absolute caution should be maintained by all and under no circumstances none should venture out.
Also coming under the present set of guidelines is there should be no more than 20 people for a funeral and if it exceeds, one can expect a hefty fine under the Epidemic Act, which is the final word.
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Being that the case, the state saw the funeral of Dr Philipose Mar Chrysostom, the senior-most metropolitan of the Thiruvalla headquartered Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church, last Thursday, at a time when the state was under strict protocols.
And on Tuesday, a similar thing took place when all the accepted guidelines were allowed to be broken when the body of Kerala’s ‘iron lady’ and legendary former Communist K.R. Gowri was brought and kept in a public hall in the state capital for the top echelons of the political system in the state to pay their last respects.
Incidentally, when the leaders were paying their last respects to the departed lady, the police elsewhere were doing their duty and stopping vehicles and asking people where are they going and don’t they know that Covid is spreading.
And on Monday, Vijayan as on most days announced that the Kerala Police collected Rs 34.50 lakh by way of fines after 14,000 cases were registered in the day from those who failed to wear masks and violated ‘social distancing norms’.
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A media critic on condition of anonymity said yes, these things will happen.
“The police stand helpless in situations like these and no doubt Gowri is a legend and many will like to go and give their last respects. In the strict sense, Covid protocols are for all, but in situations like this for obvious reasons, all of it goes for a toss and that’s because it’s here. We can’t help it but face it,” said the critic.
An exception to the general rule, of course, has to be there and it will be there, not just in Kerala but in India, however, one has to find out what it is elsewhere, if all are equal or if some are more than equal.
SOURCE-IANS
