Pandemic fight
The new wave of COVID-19 infections has brought with it misinformation which is only adding to the panic. The right information on vaccination provided from time to time by the authorities could have helped. The government could have also planned better knowing that there is an insufficient volume of vaccines. The traumatic visuals of oxygen shortage are also affecting people. The chaos and panic being felt everywhere is largely due to the lack of clear information. The government should earn the peoples’ confidence first by assuring them that it is taking the right steps and not keeping them in the dark.
Dr. D.V.G. Sankararao,
Nellimarla, Andhra Pradesh
Courts to the fore
An assertive bar with people such as Prashant Bhushan and Dushyant Dave and retired judges such as Justice Madan Lokur and Justice A.P. Shah and a vibrant press have made the Supreme Court of India say it will not interfere with the power of the High Courts.
The Chief Justice of the Madras High Court has rightly pulled up the Election Commission of India for allowing mass election rallies which have contributed immensely to the ongoing second wave of COVID-19. The role of the various High Courts during the COVID-19 pandemic has made them a part of a functional, federal democracy.
N.G.R. Prasad,
Chennai
The stinging observations by the High Court on the dismal failure of the Election Commission of India in exercising its constitutional authority to curb blatant violations of safety guidelines by the throngs of gatherings during electioneering are timely and telling. It is equally unfortunate that the BJP President has chosen to criticise the comments by the judiciary, reflecting his scant regard for these observations. A reading of the text of the observations by the High Court highlights the urgency of the situation.
After having done a wonderful job in controlling the first wave, the authorities took their foot off the pedal, literally failing to assess the unfathomable impact of the second wave.
The crowds during electioneering and the festivities and religious melas could not have taken place without the blessings of the powers that be. In fact, many political and religious leaders were in the forefront of the attendant violations. There were also some who expressed the belief that god is there to protect them.
The ECI, along with a host of authorities, is accountable. The authorities have now woken up and are battling the virus. I do believe that they will succeed. They must.
S. Shivaram,
Chennai
Home management
The medical tips offered by Dr. Priya Sampathkumar (OpEd, “A pragmatic approach for COVID-19”, April 28) are timely, but people cannot be blamed for their fear and concern about home care even if the symptoms are mild. It becomes even more desperate in conditions like India’s. The main fear is about advancing into the oxygenation phase. I am sure the writer must know that there are no medicines in a home kit that can help people to avoid progression to this stage. The U.S. has a repurposed drug research programmes from universities and medical centres, awaiting their move into a quick bulk phase and subsequent universal protocols. If she could help running some of those phases in India, with its huge patient volunteer base, through the help portal, it would be a wonderful measure.
M. Balakrishnan,
Bengaluru
IPL matches
Social media feeds have images of COVID funerals at crowded mortuaries and cemeteries, wailing relatives of the dead outside hospitals, and long queues of ambulances carrying gasping patients. In such a distressing situation, no right-thinking person will support grandiloquent entertainment in the background of a grieving nation. Buying the argument that the Indian Premier League offers a semblance of comfort in sorrow hardly makes any sense, given the fact that India is now faced with a huge public health emergency. No doubt, sports has the power to heal wounds, but not always.
R. Sivakumar,
Chennai
