KOLKATA: The
city police might have succeeded in making their presence felt at popular tourist hotspots as the city ushered in the New Year through an extended weekend, but they insisted that there was still no scope of letting their guard down.
The cops are preparing for a new phase of its popular #MaskUpKolkata campaign by focusing on the the office localities and bigger markets of the city. The central division launched the new phase on Monday as it held special sensitization drives and distributed masks telling the people that the dangers were far from over.
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It is commendable that cops are re-launching the campaign. But wearing a mask is a social responsibility; a mask also protects ourselves. It shows us in poor light when something like this has to be enforced.
“Ever since the arrival of vaccines were announced, a section has almost forgotten that we are amidst a pandemic. There is a social responsibility, too, that many people, especially the younger generation, are forgetting,” said a joint commissioner.
DCP (central) Meeraj Khalid said: “With everything opening up this Monday after the Christmas break, the markets and offices saw hundreds converging together. We are not relaxing now. We are telling the people that they need to stick to Covid-safety protocols. We have prosecuted 213 people since Sunday evening for not wearing masks. The total number of prosecutions since the New Year celebrations stands at 1,185.
Doctors agree with the cops. “The vaccination has not even begun. The
Covid numbers now resemble those in last July. We all know about the spike that followed. The vaccination has not yet started and if we are not careful, a resurgence is very much possible. Moreover, lots of people are thinking that once they get vaccinated, they’re not going to have to wear masks anymore. They are forgetting that a huge section of the population — the children — are yet to be covered under the vaccination plans,” said Amitabha Sengupta, a child specialist in Santoshpur area.
The police stricture comes after at least 30% of those fined, were found to be wearing the mask merely as an accessory without realizing the importance of wearing it properly. As many as of 70% were not wearing mask at all, a complete reversal from the ground situation during
Durga puja, claimed cops. “Initially, we found people, who were not wearing mask properly. But now, a section is not even pretending to wear one,” said an officer.