Kolkata: Day after the city saw huge crowds of mid-night revellers thronging the eastern metropolis's busy Park Street to celebrate Christmas, health experts and doctors cautioned against allowing more such gatherings especially during the New Year festivities, pointing to the rising number of Covid cases in the country and emergent threat from a more virulent Omicron strain.
Experts pointed out that the state authorities which had earned kudos for managing crowds during Durga Puja two months back, should not have relaxed their guard during the Christmas festival which is also a popular festive occasion given the fact that people are suffering from "Covid fatigue" and were likely to dispel with safety norms.
Virologists and public health experts felt an urgent clampdown is needed to avoid a repeat of such mass gatherings with Covid inappropriate behaviour during the New Year celebrations.
There has to be a strict approach given that there are expectations of a surge in Covid cases especially with the advent of the Omicron variant. We expected the government as well as common people to be more responsible," Dr Sanjib Bandyopadhyay, Associate Professor of Burdwan Medical College said.
Such revelry, throwing Covid safety protocols to the winds, would give a big push to the number of daily Covid-19 infections, he believed. India reported some 6,987 fresh Covid cases on Saturday with accounting for
552 cases.
Beliaghata ID hospital Principal Dr Anima Haldar stated that the government should have adopted a stricter attitude during Christmas celebration.
Bengal has relaxed night curfew restrictions for nine days during the Christmas and New Year festive season. Crowds surge through the central business district of Park Street, most clubs and hotels had full houses during Christmas lunches and evening entertainments.
Observers said the state government's move to relax curfew norms which had forbidden travel after 11 pm was "good for business" but "bad for public health" as the number of gatherings were bound to go up given the fact that people living through two years of strictly enforced Covid norms were suffering from "Covid fatigue" and wished to socialise again.
Bengal relaxed the movement of people and vehicles between 11pm to 5am for nine days from December 24 to January 1.
The night restrictions and other Covid measures, however, have been extended till January 15, 2022.