Kumaran P | NT

With the decreasing number of positive cases of COVID-19 infections in the city and state, citizens have stopped wearing masks. The worrying factor is that other than Bengaluru city, other districts are majorly violating the COVID Appropriate Behaviour (CAB) and citizens have almost stopped wearing masks. Has the COVID-19 pandemic been over? City doctors give a word of caution and say stopping the wearing of masks is not a good idea.

“It is too early for people to give up the Covid-appropriate protocol. I would definitely suggest people wear masks in private or enclosed places where they are mixing with unknown people,” Dr Pallavi, Consultant – Internal Medicine, Manipal Hospital Hebbal.

She said, “Outdoors and areas of high transmission people should choose to wear a mask when in close contact with other people particularly those with a weakened immune systems or if they are at increased risk for infection. We are not done with Covid yet, as experts opine there may be other variants in Covid. We should learn to guard ourselves and deal with this henceforth.”

Dr Vivek Padegal, Director, Pulmonologist, Fortis Hospital, Bannerghatta Road, said, “The current positivity rate is probably much below the reality of actual infections any people are not testing all home testing and not reporting so it is still very possible that the infections are currently still widely being transmitted. At the end of every lockdown and wave, people behave like COVID is gone forever what time and again it has reared.”

“It’s an ugly head. All three waves’ severity would’ve been much less. People stick to the basics of masking social distancing hand hygiene and from last year vaccination. Even though the perception is that Omicron, the current predominant strain, is less dangerous, people are still developing severe Covid and are requiring ICU care. A healthy individual who has contracted cove it will still transmit through the elderly, the sick and the immune-compromised. So it is very important that we continue Covid appropriate behaviour, especially masking to prevent further spread,” said Padegal.

Experts say that preventing further waves protects the high-risk patient from both severe Covid-19 and post Covid-19 complications. It is therefore very important that emphasis is continued especially in rural areas. Where people don’t have as good of access to healthcare and severe disease can have a significant impact on finance and well-being. Remind people that it is very likely that Covid is not over yet and continuing masking is very important to protect oneself and others.

Dr Jagadish Hiremath, Chairman at Aasra Hospital said, “It is found that people are increasingly turning negligent towards covid appropriate behaviour. It is too early to stop wearing masks when we are out in public. Although cases are coming down and the positivity rate has come down to 2 per cent, we must remember that covid still exists among us and anyone around us could be carrying the virus.”

Hiremath said, “A large majority of cases are from the BA2 variant of Omicron virus now which is called “Stealth Omicron Variant” as RT PCR tests can be negative although they might be infected. This is a clear indication that covid is not over yet and following covid appropriate behaviour is still needed. Hence we cannot negate the chances of COVID-19 infection.”

Dr Subrata Das, Senior Consultant - Internal Medicine & Diabetology, Sakra World Hospital said, “Mask usage continues to reduce the chain of transmission. Even though covid has mild symptoms these days there are still few patients with comorbidities and old age who can become seriously ill. Also, we should see how the newer variants are behaving.

Das said that the mask also prevents other respiratory infections like flu. We are not yet done with covid though this time the fatality rate was low despite a large number of cases. We should wait and watch how the emerging variants behave.

Dr Brunda MS, Consultant - Internal Medicine, Aster CMI Hospital said, “Even though the cases are declining it doesn’t mean we have reached the end game of the pandemic. Though several countries have lifted their mask mandates, considering the current situation in India, mask compliance must continue for some more time for all and follow COVID-appropriate behaviour. WHO has warned that the emergence of variants more infectious than Omicron cannot be ruled out.”

So, it is soon to decide and ditch the mask now. Precaution is better than cure. Hence, continue wearing a mask, especially the one that fits appropriately without causing aerosol to spread and get vaccinated at the earliest.

Parents still sceptical of admissions next academic year
With close to two academic sessions being conducted only on the online mode for school students, parents are skeptical on new admissions for the next academic year sessions. The confusion is with parents whose kids are in kindergarten classes. Parents say that their LKG classes were online and now they want to continue UKG also in the online mode and then shift to physical classes.

Many schools in Bengaluru are still opting for the hybrid mode of classes even for the next academic sessions. On the other hand, the Government of Karnataka has said that all schools can start kicking in and conducting classes offline. There are also private school associations that want parents to send their children to schools.

Mukul Jain, a parent from JP Nagar said, “My daughter is studying in LKG and classes are completely online. Hence, we moved to a different place where our house rent was cheap during the COVID-19 times. So, we could manage the school as well as our work. Now, if the school wants us to come to offline classes, it is difficult for us. What is the problem with the online classes? After all, they are still in kindergarten classes and there is not much activity happening.”

“These days picking up with the salaries that we earn and paying up fees is a challenge. But we are not asking for any compromise in children’s education. We are worried that offline classes for KG is a risky affair and parents need to be given a choice these days,” added Jain.

Parents say that they have paid full fees over the last two years even without physical classes. They say that it is better to go for offline classes. “Some parents have burnt their pockets even without classes but I think we have our views that schools should start. Only then there is a value to what we are paying. We are waiting for different school notifications and to apply for schools. In all possibilities, Covid-19 cases will be normal and we have to accept it as any other disease,” said another parent.

A senior official from the Department of Education (Primary and Secondary) said, “We will be releasing the admission circular soon. We will release it for all classes and schools will start the admission process. The schools should start the process only after we issue circulars for the admission and without that, it is illegal to do admissions. If there are any instances of early admissions, the parents can write to us and seek our help.”