Money9 Edit | COVID-19 fight should keep aside political differences

The surge in COVID-19 cases is threatening to mar the recovery of the economy and cause further agony to the citizens, who have been at the receiving end of the pandemic.

PM Narendra Modi’s meeting with CMs today underlines the importance of charting a strategy which will nip the second wave in the bud.

The key takeaway from today’s meeting was the need to ensure the momentum in testing does not dip and the self-confidence gained in the fight against COVID-19 should not turn into overconfidence.

The worrying factor is that this current wave has entered tier-2 and 3 towns and if it spreads to the hinterland, then that would result in a massive problem for the authorities.

It is time to collaborate without any political bias and ensure decisiveness. The mantra should be test and vaccinate.

Elections will come and go, but the response to this crisis will be etched in the annals of history.

With assembly elections around the corner, many political equations will come into play and the seriousness around the COVID-19 threat may take a backseat.

This is where all the stakeholders need to come together and devise a strategy which will insure testing as well as inoculation are conducted without any hurdles.

The inoculation drive should not suffer any preventable roadblocks and the authorities need to ensure that citizens do not let their guard down.

Return of lockdown restrictions will put an end to all the sacrifices made earlier and will have another debilitating impact on the economy.

With the average number of cases witnessing a steady rise, the time has come for a resolute approach to a problem which does not have a copybook solution.

Elections will come and go, but the response to this huge crisis will be etched in the annals of history.