Mask up, don’t crowd to keep any variants at bay

This picture has been used for representational purpose

Every single official communication and report on the Omicron virus has been advising us not to panic. This is sound advice as panic in any situation usually means knee-jerk reactions, reading too much into what may not be the whole truth and a general frenzied state of mind, where the strong point is not logic.

The Omicron virus, several reports say, is highly transmissible but has not caused severe disease as yet. It will still take at least two weeks for scientists to gauge the severity of the disease, but, as of now, they claim that the upside is that it is less severe than the previous variant, which is Delta. While the race to tackle variants and research are on, we must pay attention to the important point: do not panic, but we must use precautions, that is what every single credible report is saying.

That means the masks, that were slipping of late, have to be back on. We are also going into social season, parties, weddings, get togethers, we certainly see an uptick in these events end of the year, and this must be curtailed. Take a decision about whether to attend or not, and, the hosts, difficult as it may be, will have to restrict and abide by the new rules that may come into force soon.

This is directly linked to social distancing. We saw some adherence during the beginning of the outbreak. We remember all those chalk circles outside stores, telling people to space out while they await their turn. We may not go back to that, but avoiding crowds is wise.

Hygiene, which means frequent hand washing, should be back to the levels it was earlier, if you have slipped. Caution is key, and it is no to panic, yes to precautions. Authorities have yet another ‘P' word to think of - prepare.