West Bengal swiftly came into the throes of cancellations on Wednesday, canceling several events scheduled for this month, in an acknowledgment that a possible third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is setting in.
The Kolkata International Film Festival, to be held from January 7 to 14, was “postponed” and a slew of popular music festivals, including the Dover Lane Music Convention, were also cancelled. The organizers of the Kolkata Book Fair, which will start from January 31, are awaiting the instructions of the state government.
The Calcutta High Court is presently hearing a writ petition seeking cancellation of the Ganga Sagar Mela to be held at Sagar Island in the state from January 8 to 16. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from across the country attend the festival every year and many of them have already arrived. The court on Wednesday sought a reply from the state government on what it wanted to do about the event.
Until recently, the state, especially the capital Kolkata, appeared divided into two camps: those who took the fresh surge in COVID-19 cases seriously, and those who let off guard as the Omicron version that contributed to the surge. Giving, he is considered less serious. , This, despite the state government announcing a new set of restrictions as the number of cases started to explode.
But with the positivity rate now jumping from 1.5% to 19% in a span of just 10 days and many of those infected reporting symptoms that are not quite mild, panic is slowly starting to set in. Chartered accountant Pragamoy Dasgupta, who lost his second wave father and who himself got infected at that time, has tested COVID-positive once again.
“This time I have the opposite symptoms as last time. I had a sore throat and runny nose since Monday. I got tested yesterday and the report was positive. The CT score is 16, compared to 28 last time. I have a history of traveling to Bhubaneswar in the last week; I think the spread of buffets in hotels should stop,” said Mr. Dasgupta Hindu,
Dr. Kaushik Chaki of the West Bengal Doctors’ Forum – the organization was on Wednesday made a party to the ongoing Ganga Sagar Mela case in the High Court – said the time has come to press the “alert button” and not the “alert button”. It’s time for the “panic button”.
“Kolkata alone has recorded over 4,000 positives in a single day and we are in the initial phase of the third wave. What is worrying is that already a large proportion of doctors, nurses and other health workers in hospitals have been infected. Prevention is our best option: get vaccinated, get a booster dose, wear a mask in public places, wash hands and avoid gatherings,” Dr Chaki said.
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