OF COURSE, coronavirus had never been defeated. It was all the time there once it entered our lives about a year ago. But then came the massive national and international effort to fight it back. Various social, health and other measures were put in place with utmost care. A global research effort produced good enough vaccines, too, as a necessary step to combat the dangerous menace that claimed crores of lives across the world. And the world heaved a sigh of relief! -- under the impression that coronavirus had been defeated.

 

That was, however, a fake impression, as we are coming to know by now -- much to our collective peril. The ugly virus is beginning to show its second coming, afflicting people in increasing numbers. A scare has gone up in most societies -- at least in India. And the administration is waking up to repeat its earlier attempts of social disciplining -- perhaps including lockdown! Truly speaking, this all was not necessary if we had to conduct ourselves with a greater sense of responsibility. In most Indian cities and towns -- where the coronavirus had shown its dirty fangs -- all of us showed scant regard to caution. We flouted norms of social distancing.

 

We stopped cleansing our hands with sanitisers. We stopped wearing masks as a first and best protection. And we also started crowding places. And we did all this under the impression that coronavirus had been defeated. How we proved ourselves to be big fools -- all of us put together! Big, brazen, blighted fools! Now coronavirus has started showing all its dirty fangs once again, and we may have to go through perhaps a longer spell of lockdown -- which will lead to another economic slowdown right at the time when things were looking better in the market and the schools and colleges were reopening within limits. All that we must now do is to recommit ourselves to following all the norms zealously and religiously. For, it is everybody’s fight. It is for everybody’s good. What we need is one massive thrust to bring coronavirus under control again. It is in our hands, folks! All the best!