KOLKATA: The vaccine may have turned out to be an entry pass for those above 60 who are planning to attend small gatherings and house parties this
Holi weekend. Armed with the vaccine, scores of senior citizens will be joining the festivities at places where only those who have taken the shot will be allowed.
Retired engineer Jayanta Bhowmik will attend a gathering with his extended family at Dum Dum. “We took the first shot on March 8 and though we are aware that the risk has not been completely obliterated yet, the jab has given us some confidence,” Bhowmik said. He added that the family party will be attended by around 15-20 guests, most of whom have received their first vaccine shots while some are fully inoculated.
“We expect the risk will be lower than last year when we were fighting against an unknown virus. Since we have restricted ourselves from attending any large social do over the last year, on Sunday, we are expecting to meet our relatives by maintaining social distancing and taking all the other Covid precautions,” he said. Both Bhowmik and his wife Ratna are scheduled to receive the second shot on April 6.
Sajal Kumar Nan, a retired bank employee from Amherst Street, has taken the first jab. “I plan to attend a small family party on Holi. Though we are aware that the vaccine is not a passport to do away with Covid guidelines and does not guarantee that we will never catch the virus, it has given us some relief. We will abide by all the pandemic-related norms and meet some of our relatives,” Nan said.
A doctor at
NRS Medical College and Hospital, Digbijoy Bose, from Kalyani, said, “I will be meeting my friends after remaining on Covid duty for a year. Though the jab may not be fool-proof protection against the virus yet, it is offering some immunity, which has given me the confidence to meet my relatives at a party.”
Another doctor, Chirayata Chattopadhyay, from
Agarpara has been invited to a Holi party organized by friends. Though he has his regular medical duty on the day, he has consented to attend the party if time permits. “After receiving the first shot of the vaccine, I may have developed some immunity against the virus. Though it is not fool-proof, the first dose of vaccine has definitely generated some amount of confidence in me,” Chattopadhyay said.