Health Ministry warns against ‘revenge travel’, says second wave is not over yet

On Tuesday, the Union Health Ministry raised alarm over the increased visitor density in hill stations, claiming that people are engaging in 'revenge travel.' During a routine briefing, Health Secretary Lav Agarwal stated that the second wave is still present in some areas, but in a limited capacity.

Expressing the concern, Agarwal said, "people are travelling for revenge. Some pictures from Manali, Mussoorie, Sadar Bazar Delhi, Shimla, Laxmi Nagar Delhi, and Dadar Market show a large crowd without masks walking the streets. This is terrible. People must recognise that this is a never-ending battle. The virus has not been eradicated; it is still present. Only Covid-appropriate behaviour can keep the infection under control."

According to the Health Ministry, the number of cases has been reduced by 30%. "However, in states such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Meghalaya, Sikkim..., more cases with a positive rate of more than 10% are being reported," Agarwal added.

Dr Balram Bhargava, Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research, has stated that some states in the country are still dealing with the second wave of COVID-19. "When the positivity rate falls below 5%, the system is regarded as safe. As a result, we must keep the same testing momentum. The community must be involved in Covid proper behaviour and must be vaccinated."

Bhargava further stated that the images from hill stations are 'frightening,' and he urged visitors to follow COVID-appropriate conduct.

The main problem in dealing with the pandemic, as per Bhargava, is not really the third wave, but "how we act on it." "Rather than emphasising the wave element, we should concentrate on COVID proper behaviour/restrictions to contain the spread," he stated.

Furthermore, Bhargava also stated that the booster shot of Covaxin is still in the scientific ideation stage and that its efficacy is unknown.