Just returned from an 8-day #election tour of #BattleForTamilNadu .. Having gone by road to sooo many key constituencies, I feel I am quite well-qualified to comment on exactly what wave is there.. (Even if I say so myself)
It's simple -- #TamilNadu is going to see another #Covid wave, probably a more severe one. Approximately 1 pct of ppl in every public rally/ campaign meeting/ procession or even the rally to go file nominations wore a #mask
I guess candidates are the ones in the greatest dilemma - they have to show their faces to the voters (or how will the voter recognise?).. So at the cost of their own health they are giving up masks, risking everything (coz I guess for them, this election IS everything)
I saw this across constituencies - high-profile to low-profile candidates; I saw this across regions - south to north; I saw this across all kinds of meetings, sadly even in indoor ones meant for just strategy planning
Hearteningly, there were a few who DID wear a mask, scrupulously kept distance - let me name them -- TTV Dhinakaran, Anbumani Ramadoss
As for the people - they just didn't seem to mind.. They would get into open tempos to join rallies by the dozens; they would walk in procession for kms; they would pick up water, stop for small talk, wait patiently at bus stops, cheer loudly for their favourite hero, sing songs
At some point, officials have just given up. Except for policemen on duty (and thank god, this was followed in #Chennai and in many of the districts), officials weren't wearing masks (or wearing them under the nose)
One hotel staffer (in an air-conditioned hotel) told me wearing mask thru the day of his duty hours "tough-aa irukku, purinjikonga" (Pl understand, it's tough) -- of course I left that place fasst
By day 2, our team was the odd one out everywhere.. And people were looking at us like we were bonkers for in some places we were the ONLY ones with a mask
Enforcement of protocols is almost nil. By April 2nd week, the #BattleForTamilNadu is going to emerge as the biggest cluster (unless of course it all adds up to herd immunity) .. #TamilNadu ko vanakkam
(Please take this in the right spirit. #MaskUp .. Not for yourself, at least for your family's sake and the country's sake.. Be a Patriot, if that's the word that will get you going)
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