Lack of alert at multiple levels would cost India dear, if the reports about mass infection of Covid virus at a religious congregation in a mosque in Delhi is any indication. The Islamic religious meet at Markaz, the global centre of the Tablighi Jamaat in Nizamuddin, lasted for several days, and was attended by over 2,000 faithful in the midst of the worldwide Covid scare. The mosque authorities say they had permission from the Delhi Police to hold the meet. It now turns out that several of the participants are now suffering from Covid infection.
Greater vigilance was called for, more so as the participants of this event were drawn from different nations and different states within India. Police apparently took into account the religious sensitivities and at the same time failed to take note of the possible health impacts of this conclave. Several of those who have returned to Telangana from the event are tested positive for Corona virus infection. It is likely that those who have returned from the meet to other states too might be active carriers of already infected with the virus and could aggravate the possibility of community-level spread of Covid. Over 300 of the nearly 1000 participants who stayed back at the mosque dormitory after the event are now hospitalized with symptoms of Covid, while the rest are quarantined. The sudden declaration of the lockdown forced them to mass up in the dormitory for days.
On the one side, the police are coming in for criticism for harsh steps they take to enforce the lockdown; on the other side such failures are also coming to public attention. Overall, this is time the law enforcing agencies as also health sector staff as a whole are straining their nerves and acting as saviours. They are having a hard time attending to their duties. They guard the nation against a deep fall into the hell of Covid. This is also time for religious institutions, to act responsibly and make sure no such gatherings are allowed.
The abrupt declaration of the lockdown has hurt one and all. The migrant labourer is obviously the worst-hit. The large army of labourers was virtually left to fend for themselves away from their homes and hearths. The government had time for proper planning before such a lockdown was enforced. Instead, the nation was given just four hours to lock themselves up after PM Modi’s sudden announcement on March 24. This has posed immense problems for the nation.