Letters to the Editor — May 31, 2021

May 31, 2021 12:02 am | Updated 01:09 am IST

COVID and children

If the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic saw an uptick in child marriages and children from the lower rungs of the society being forced to work for wages, the second wave has dealt them another blow — hundreds of children being orphaned. The new coinage, ‘COVID orphans’, is a grim reminder to state authorities to take concerted measures that ensure the well-being and protection of such children. They must have a conducive environment to grow and evolve as good and responsible citizens. The authorities also need to keep constant vigil over child traffickers. Given the traumatised state of the orphaned children, they must also be provided with mental health support. They do need our empathy, kindness and protection.

M. Jeyaram,

Sholavandan, Tamil Nadu

 

New variant

The reports, of a lockdown in China’s Guangzhou and the detection of a new COVID-19 variant in Vietnam (‘World page, May 30), are a pointer to how troublesome variants of COVID-19 can emerge in both lax and controlled situations. Virologists need to explain the worrying features of the new variant. Masks are fine, but how else should one remain even safer? We seem to be facing and dealing with a pathogen whose penchant for causing trouble seems unending.

M. Balakrishnan,

Bengaluru

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.