Two years after Covid, experts in India feel it's right time to 'open' up

Gagandeep Kang, microbiologist and professor at CMC, Vellore says this is the right time to relax Covid curbs, but as long as we also plan for worst case scenarios

As India signals a return to ‘normalcy’ by not further invoking the provisions of the Disaster Management Act after March 31, experts feel that this may be just the right time to do so.

Two years after the pandemic broke out and the country went into a mega-lockdown, the Union Home Ministry decided to end all its Covid19 containment measures from March 31, and said on Tuesday that there may not be any further need to invoke the provisions of the Disaster Management Act for Covid containment measures.

However, wearing of masks and maintaining social distancing norms will continue as earlier.

The Home Secretary said that in view of the nature of the disease, people still need to remain watchful of the situation, and whenever there is any surge in the number of cases observed, states may consider taking prompt and proactive action at local level, as advised by the Union Health Ministry from time to time.

This comes at a time when the world is witnessing a sharp rise in cases. Countries like UK, Italy, France, and Germany have seen a significant resurgence of cases after falling for about a month. The governments in these countries too have resorted to easing restrictions. For example, in Italy the government has recently said that it would phase out almost all restrictions by May 1 despite the rising cases.

Situation is equally alarming in the East where South Korea has reported around 5 lakh fresh Covid cases and Hong Kong’s public health infra is under stress. Despite the rising cases, Hong Kong has started to ease the travel restrictions.

Experts like Gagandeep Kang, microbiologist and professor at CMC, Vellore felt that this is the right time to relax curbs, but as long as we also plan for worst case scenarios.

On Wednesday the Union Health Ministry too issued a directive to states on relaxations of Covid19 curbs, based on two factors – hospital bed occupancies and test positivity rates.

Kang said that, “Both important parameters to track in an appropriately designed and implemented surveillance program.”

Another senior virologist, T Jacob John, former head of the Departments of Clinical Virology and Microbiology at CMC, Vellore too seemed to agree.

John said that India was the first country to reach the endemic stage after both the Delta and the Omicron waves. “Now the other countries are going through their Omicron waves. So we do not need to live in fear forever, we can be one of the first ones to open up,” John says, adding that the Deltacron variant is a recombination of the Delta and Omicron variants. “Indians have been exposed to both these variants, and thus this should not cause havoc here. Therefore, the government is right in gradually relaxing the Covid curbs,” he adds.

Clinicians feel that one needs to continue to avoid huge gatherings and wear masks for some more time.

“I am in favour of keeping the guards and continue following covid safety norms, continue vaccination and regular lateral testing of all suspected cases and genomic testing of cases to know whether the virus is mutating or not,” said PS Narang, director,

paediatrics, Max Super specialty Shalimar Bagh Delhi. 

He added that he continues to see patients who have influenza-like symptoms and in the last week or ten days there have been many such cases. Therefore, maintaining caution at an individual level is necessary, the doctor feels.