Thread by @sivaetb

#Thread #COVIDSecondWave

Marriage season in #TamilNadu has begun, and if people do not confine it to a very close family event, there are possibilities that weddings emerge as super spreaders. The situation could be alarming in rural areas. (1/n)

Government has put a cap on the number of people for marriage, but that is not followed in many places. In villages, marriages are held at the homes of either the bride or the groom. They are normally closed spaces. And neither social distancing nor masking is followed. (2/n)

Some 100 people will easily gather in a house for the wedding. And in villages, food will be served in houses that are close to the venue. The spread will be rapid of proper measures are not taken. Many people are shifting weddings to their residences from marriage halls (3/n)

Many people in rural areas still hesitate to wear a mask or get vaccinated. The responsibility of ensuring an incident-free wedding primarily lies with the family. And the government should also pitch in to ensure they don't turn super spreaders. (4/n)

Some of the things that can be done are to alert the local bodies to keep an eye on marriages. The Village Administrative Officers (VAO) can be asked to collect a list of marriages to be held in their area. There will be practical difficulties, but this can be done (5/n)

In case of town panchayats which have more staff, the Executive Officer (EO) can collect details of marriages to be held. The families should be sensitised on the need to keep it a very closed event and the importance of maintaining social distancing and masking. (6/n)

Panchayat staff should monitor the marriages. It is again difficult but can be done. If proper rules are not followed, the family can be imposed a fine. There is no other way than being strict in public interest. Covid behaviour is almost NIL in villages and small towns (7/n)

I can vouch for the NIL fact having lived through whole of the lockdown period in a small town during the first wave. My town witnessed at least 30 marriages on an auspicious day. Imagine what will happen if so many number of marriages happen in a day and people gather (8/n)

Government should be proactive in this though the primary responsibility is that of the family to follow the rules. Local panchayat staff should ensure compliance. If weddings lead to more cases in villages, the crisis will only compound. (9/n)

Already government hospitals in rural areas are handling more cases than their capacities. People should understand stress that health care workers are under and reduce on the guest list for weddings. All Covid protocol should be followed. This is only in public interest (10/n)