By 
They say the darkest hour is just before dawn. This saying has come true again. Just as we were celebrating the announcement of three efficacious vaccines by the medical world, a universal spike in COVID 19 shook the rest of the world. With this has come the numbing news that a more contagious mutant which may or may not respond to the vaccines is rapidly finding its way into communities and nations.
The rise in infections is understandable even if it is not excusable. We live in a world of ‘fundamental human rights’ and people will go the extra mile to defend those rights even when some of those rights are injurious to their health.
The fear of COVID 19 has forced many governments across the world to curtail the right to movement and association of their citizens. Many people have fought back, aided in some cases, by populists and right wing leaders. The result is that the world was unable to have a uniform response to the lockdown. And in this age of massive travels within a global village, we are all as strong as our weakest link. There are those who obeyed the lockdown rules but felt the need to get out to clear the cobwebs in their heads.
There are those whose businesses had been on lockdown since the beginning of last year and were desperate to breathe some life into them. Then there is the category of social animals who missed the gaiety of gatherings. Some of them had deferred their weddings and anniversaries till the end of the year hoping the virus would have miraculously disappeared by then. All these have resulted in cross movements and contacts.
While the need for human interactions and the desire of people to have their ‘lives back’ are understandable, the lowering of guards or complete disregard for COVID 19 protocols by some cannot be excused – there are many places in Lagos where those who insist on wearing masks are disdained; there are people – some of them enlightened – who describe those who are still reluctant to embrace social gatherings as being paranoid.
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