Doctors Association Kashmir cautions people not to assemble on New Year parties

By: Musaib Iqbal MK

Srinagar

Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) on Friday has cautioned people not to be the part of any New Year parties and not be the part of any crowded events because of the growing cases due to Omicron variant.

DAK has already asked the people to brace up for the impending third wave and has told people to exercise CAB and wear masks whenever they move out of their homes.

According to the DAK statement, “People are urged to avoid gatherings on new year to prevent the spread of highly transmissible Omicron variants in the valley”.

“Gatherings increase your risk of contracting the virus and spreading it in the community,” he said.

Dr Hassan said let us not take chances with our own health and health of others by creating an easy opportunity for the virus to spread.

“People should avoid new year parties and gatherings to protect themselves and their loved ones,” he said.

“We cannot be complacent. We are not out of woods yet. Covid is far from over and we must not lower our guard,” said Dr Nisar.

“If people are not careful and don’t act responsibly, the situation will spin out of control,” he said.

The DAK President said if we want to go back to normal in near future, we need to impose self restrictions. And the most important is to avoid crowding.

“If we can limit our social gatherings, we can successfully create a deterrent against the spread of infection to a large extend,” he said.

General Secretary DAK Dr Arshad Ali said vaccination and Covid appropriate behavior like masking and avoiding crowding should go hand in hand.

“Vaccination will protect from severe disease, but you can still get the virus and spread it to others. People should continue to follow safety norms to avoid catastrophic slipup,” he said

Spokesperson DAK Dr Riyaz Ahmad Dagga said many state governments have already put restrictions on new year celebrations in view of rise in omicron cases across the country.

He said Jammu and Kashmir is already witnessing a winter surge in Covid-19 cases and hospitals too are seeing increase in number of cases requiring oxygen and some even need ICU beds.

Three cases of Omicron that have been detected in Jammu had no travel history or contact which gives us to understand that the new variant is possibly already in the community.

“If we do not behave appropriately, we will give the virus a chance to spread in the community which could reignite another outbreak in the valley,” he added.