The questions, as always, are many and never too easy. Is the second wave over? When will the next wave of infections turn ashore? Will it be as brutal as the last one? How dangerous is the Delta Plus variant? Take that first poser, for example. Most likely answer: yes and no. As Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director General Balram Bhargava said in a press briefing in late June, the pandemic is under control in large parts of the country—about 535 last count districts—where the test positivity ratio was less than 5 percent. . But in some pockets this is not the case. “The second wave in our country is not over yet. We still have 75 districts with more than 10 per cent spread.” Therefore, averting a future wave hinges on various factors – most prominent among them being COVID-appropriate behavior and avoiding mass gatherings.
Even in areas where the two-month lockdown has been lifted, the threat has not averted—in Pune, and other cities in Maharashtra, strict restrictions such as…
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