Public flouting COVID-19 norms to be held responsible for 3rd wave

New Delhi: The IANS' C Voter Tracker has found that the public's disregard to Covid-19 norms could result in the third wave of the pandemic.

The findings from the poll come amid reports documenting huge crowds in public places, markets, even in hill stations in various cities as pandemic restrictions were relaxed.

The gross violations of Covid -19 appropriate behaviour after certain lockdown restriction has relaxed would nullify the gains attained so far, the Union Health Ministry said in a briefing in the wake of the situation, regarding pandemic, moving on a downward trajectory at the moment in the country.

Health Ministry Join Secretary Lav Agarwal added that people travelling to hill stations are not following the covid appropriate behaviour.

Agarwal further said that though the lockdown restrictions are lifted, people must not think that pandemic left but understand that the second wave still going on at limited places.

The Ministry warned revoking the ease in restrictions if the public continues to violate covid protocols, referring to the crowd spotted in hill stations like Manali, Shimla, Mussourie and markets of Delhi and Mumbai.

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) DG Balram Bhargava also expressed concern over the crowds mentioned and public flouting covid protocols. Instead of highlighting the wave aspect, he said we should focus on covid appropriate behaviour to contain its spread.

Further, in the IANS C Voter tracker's poll, only 34 per cent responded that the government would be responsible for the third wave. But the government is criticised for the

lack of availability of vaccine doses. Forty-seven per cent responded to the tracker that they are waiting for long periods after booking slots to get inoculated, though 42 per cent opined that vaccines are easily available.

On the aspect of the oxygen crisis, fifty-one per cent of respondents said that the government was pretty late when it decided to build oxygen plants in every district in the country. But, 38 per cent responded that the decision was taken at the right time.

The sample size of the tracker is 1,815 with data weighted to known census profiles.