No checks, Punjab residents throw mask norms to the wind

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, November 23

Though the state is witnessing another Covid spike, people seem to be showing laxity in wearing masks.

A few weeks back, the Health Department carried out a field survey of mask compliance and it was found that a majority of population was wearing a mask though many were wearing it improperly.

Majority of population in the industrial town of Ludhiana was seen without a mask. During the recent festival season, it was visible how people had thrown safety norms to the wind.

A survey highlighting ‘Public Behaviour Regarding Effective Mask Usage in Ludhiana City’ was recently conducted jointly by a team of DMC Hospital and Ludhiana district police and it was found that 60 per cent of people wore a mask and now, the target was to make the remaining 40 per cent wear it.

Dr Rajesh Bagha, Civil Surgeon, said if 90 per cent residents in the district started wearing masks properly, there were 80 per cent chances to control the second wave of Covid, which was expected to arrive in mid-December.

A reality check revealed that the situation was not much different in other parts of the state, including Amritsar, Pathankot, Sangrur, Barnala and Faridkot, where residents were still unmindful to adopt the safety protocol. Taking note of the situation, Pathankot Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Ishfaq has not only called an emergency meeting of trade union leaders but has also asked SSP Rajinder Singh Sohal to wield the stick no matter how influential the erring person may be.

In Bathinda, it seems that people have shown thumbs down to masks and are unfazed by the spike in Covid cases. There is hardly any check by police personnel on the violators.

Though cases are rising in Patiala, a random visit to various parts of the city showed that residents were wearing masks in markets but the same was missing in localities with low income groups. In the wake of lack of checks by the authorities concerned, the residents are avoiding masks in the old city area while commuters can be seen wearing a mask to avoid challans.