Fresh mask call after ‘leniency’ - Not following precautions could be disastrous, warn doctors

Christmas revellers on Park Street on Friday evening  ; Sanat Kr Sinha

Kinsuk Basu   |   TT  |   Calcutta   |    27.12.20  :  Around 200 people were booked for not wearing masks on Christmas out of the teeming masses that took to the city’s streets to soak in the festive spirit.

Health experts and doctors said the figure was too small and there was need for everyone to be more cautious during this season.

Between morning and noon on Friday, police said 106 people were booked across Calcutta for not wearing masks.

At 9pm, the figure had gone up by another 103, with the majority of the prosecutions from popular spots including the Maidan, Victoria Memorial, Cathedral Road, Alipore zoo, Park Street, Camac Street, Theatre Road and New Market.

Most were prosecuted under section 68 of the Calcutta Police Act (that deals with penalty for drunkenness or riotous or indecent behaviour in public) with a maximum fine of Rs 100.

“Most of the offenders said their masks had fallen from their pockets in the crowd. Others said they had left it behind in their car because it was difficult to breathe in them in a crowded place,” said a senior police officer.

“A few others said they had stepped out for a few minutes to get daily items from the market,” the officer said.

But why is the figure so small?

Senior police officers said several hundreds of masks were distributed to those found not wearing one, across all nine divisions in the city.

The intention was to spread awareness and remind defaulters to be cautious of the virus instead of dampening the festive spirit.

“When thousands are out on the streets, you can’t go around booking everyone not wearing a mask. We used loudhailers to continuously spread awareness about using masks,” said an officer overseeing arrangements across five zones in and around Park Street.

“The average number of daily prosecutions for not wearing masks is over 100,” the officer said.

On Friday evening, Park Street had to be closed to traffic for around two hours on Christmas evening after the number of pedestrians on the “party street” suddenly surged, leaving no space for vehicles.

Thousands of people — young and old — went to Park Street to see the lights and soak in the festive mood, rare in a year reigned by the pandemic, throwing traffic out of gear.

Many said they had stepped out for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Some said they had not stepped out with family even during Durga Puja.

Several senior doctors, who have been treating Covid patients for the last few months, said the reluctance to either put on masks or maintain distance in a crowd on the roads would increase the susceptibility of patients who may not be aware whether the coronavirus infection would be mild and asymptomatic for them or turn severe.

“The number of asymp-tomatic cases would go up and since lesser numbers are turning up for tests, this could be dangerous,” said Ajay Krishna Sarkar, a senior pulmonologist at Peerless Hospital.

“But what is more alarming is that no one knows if the infection will remain mild or leave him/her in a critical state. So, there can be no two ways about maintaining the standard precautions,” he said.

There is no particular pattern in the infection.

“It can be the heart, the lungs, the kidneys or just about any other organ in the body. So, if one thinks I have a strong immunity and don’t need to wear a mask, it can be disastrous for the person and others who are in contact with him/her,” said Himadri Chakraborty, who leads a team of doctors across state-run Covid hospitals in parts of Bidhannagar, Baranagar, Dum Dum, Barasat and Barackpore.