Flagrant violation of social distancing continues

Handshaking, hugging remain prevalent forms of greeting at places of worship

KARACHI:

After having to cower into a paralysing lockdown the past week, the country’s financial hub has now started springing back into its bustling routine.

Starting Monday, malls and parks are once again abuzz with people, weddings are back in order, gyms have opened their doors to vaccinated members and various other congregational activities are no longer policed by batons.

However, the provincial government, which had to reluctantly ease its coronavirus-related restrictions, believes the threat of a viral spread is far from over; unless citizens continue maintain SOPs and remain socially distant. But for all that, for a city teeming with more than 20 million people- many among whom must throng business centres for work, crowd public transport and offer five daily prayers in a mosque- social distancing is a hard to hammer concept.

Haji Ahmad Raza, who is the trustee of a local welfare organisation working for Covid-19 relief, believes that experiencing three successive viral spells in the last two years has desensitised people to the contagion at large. “People could be seen practicing social distancing and following safety protocols during the first and second wave. But by the time of the fourth wave, which is the most detrimental so far, all precautions have been thrown to the wind and citizens are fearlessly congregating like the pandemic never existed,” the social worker claimed.

Although the pandemic’s emergence had turned shaking of hands and other forms of physical contact into a social taboo around the world, the custom appears to have remained unstirred in provincial capital. “Here [in Karachi], especially at places of worship, it rather rude when one doesn’t exchange a handshake with a hug. That is the social taboo this city knows,” remarked Raza.

Read More: Citizen killed ‘over Covid SOPs violation’ in Karachi

Speaking on the lack of social distancing and SOP violations at places of worship, Imranul Haq, a social activist maintained that under current circumstances, places of worship can potentially transform into super-spreader hubs. Although the Sindh government recently announced to prolong its closure of shrines, congregational activities have continued in full swing across the city’s mosques with little regard for healthcare and safety protocols.

Most mosques and places of worship have removed their sanitizer gates and stopped enforcing capacity limits or social distancing within their premises. While handshaking and hugging are still the prevalent form of greeting; most visibly during festivals of Eid and holy nights when places of worship are full to the brim.

“Although vaccination rates have gone up lately, there is still no way of determining who at the mosque is vaccinated and who isn’t. But even if vaccinated, there is also the vaccine-proof Delta virus at large, so people should still wear masks, limit physical contact and maintain caution when visiting places of worship,” advised Haq.

Speaking in the regard, Advisor to Sindh Chief Minister Waqar Mehdi reiterated Haq’s statement and said that implementation of SOPs is the responsibility of the people. “The first priority of the government is to protect the lives of the people, for which we will go to all extents. Now, it is in people’s hands, whether they want the government to ease restrictions or re-impose a stricter lockdown,” Mehdi told The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 12^th, 2021.