This virus has affected everyone’s lives in unfathomable ways. People’s lifestyles changed and so did the environment around them. It has affected not only people globally, but entire industries, businesses, and economies have collapsed under the pressure and burden provided by this pandemic. It’s been a paradigm shift from a Covid-free world to a world now where our every move is challenged by the virus.
Covid-19 entered our lives in December 2019, and governments around the world took some drastic measures, such as imposing months-long lockdowns, mandating masks throughout the country, and forcing shops and restaurants to remain closed until the situation improves.
Now, however, we can see a small light at the end of the tunnel: the vaccine. We now have vaccines introduced that can really help people and bring an end to this traumatic year-and-a-half it’s been. However, people have still contracted the virus post-vaccination, so precautionary measures can’t be ignored.
Seventy-one districts in India reported 10% rises in COVID-19 cases just in between 23-29th June, 2021, which is a clear indication that the second wave isn’t over. People need to be responsible and abide by rules in order to protect themselves from others and others from them.
Today, almost 50 lakh individuals are vaccinated daily, and 34 crore Indians have been vaccinated at least once against the coronavirus. The people have started to recover, and the economy has as well. During this long and difficult recessionary gap, people aimed to save money for their rainy days and spent money on nothing except the very necessary goods. This halt in consumer spending forced countless businesses to shut down in the pandemic. Since large borrowers are declining, there are early signs of pressure in the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) as well as in different retail segments.
The country will still have to prioritize human life over the economy, and the government may force non-essential shops to shut once more, as early warning signs of a third wave of Covid-19 make themselves clearer. Even post-vaccination, maintaining Covid-appropriate behavior – mask, social distancing, sanitization, avoidance of mass gatherings – would help keep infections in check. The myth of our immunity to the virus after contracting it once, unfortunately, does not work in the real world: people infected earlier by the virus are still vulnerable to re-infection from coronavirus. Therefore, it is essential that we keep ourselves and others safe by maintaining protocol and not venturing out unnecessarily. If this helps speed up recovery, it would not only help humanity but also strongly boost the economy.
