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Social distancing goes for a toss in Vizag city
Social distancing, the primary preventive measure to control the spread of dreaded coronavirus pandemic, literally goes for a toss, following a chain of incidents recently occurred in Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam: Social distancing, the primary preventive measure to control the spread of dreaded coronavirus pandemic, literally goes for a toss, following a chain of incidents recently occurred in Visakhapatnam.
Initially, the violation of social distancing happened due to the opening of liquor stores. Despite 75 per cent of hike in the liquor price, there is barely any impact on the number of tipplers thronging these outlets.
The decision of the government to open liquor outlets amid growing corona positive cases drew flak from various quarters.
"Instead of taking measures to control the pandemic, it is unfortunate that the government is exploiting the weakness of people to fill the state's depleting coffers and that too at the cost of their health. This has led to a major breach in social distancing norms," opines K Govind, an activist.
This was followed by the chaotic situation caused due to the leakage of styrene monomer gas at LG Polymers on May 7 that claimed a dozen lives and affected hundreds of families followed by subsequent protests in the wake of the gas leak tragedy.
All these led to a spike in corona positive cases after a lull in the city that lasted till April.
From May 1 to 10, a total of 41 corona positive cases have been recorded in the district, taking the tally to 66 on May 10.
Though the initial two days in May recorded two each, it was followed by five positive cases on May 3. The cases have further gone up with 12 registered on May 7 and eight more the following day.
Since the liquor sale began from May 4, many feel that the cases have gone up ever since.
Moreover, with an 18-month-old baby from Railway New Colony tested positive, the youngest positive case registered so far in the district, among the new cases reported on Saturday, there is a growing concern among denizens about the possible rise in Covid-19 cases in future.
Meanwhile, when the gas leaked at LG Polymers, social distancing took a backseat while shifting the survivors to shelters in groups.
Following the false information about the possible gas leak for second time in social media platforms on the same night, many tried to squeeze into auto-rickshaws, bikes and four-wheelers to reach a safe place and save themselves from inhaling the toxic styrene.
Their fear to rush to a safer zone made them forget about social distancing norms as many residents within 10-km radius from LG Polymers were seen spending the night on the Highway, footpaths and on the Beach Road.
Even during the protest staged at LG Polymers the next day of tragic incident, social distancing was hardly maintained as scores of villagers barged into RR Venkatapuram and spent hours, demanding immediate closure or shifting of the plant.
Keeping the recent incidents in view, health experts express concern over the possible spread of infection further in the coming days.
