There are disturbing reports from several parts of the world that the coronavirus is raising its ugly head once again through different variants. The suspected originator of the disease, China, is under the grip of the virus once again and this time the situation is extremely grim. Besides China, other countries from where disturbing news about the pandemic is arriving include the US, the UK, Japan, South Korea and Brazil. India is not an exception. Some cases from Gujarat and Odisha indicate that new variants of the coronavirus have already reached our shores.

This news is not only disturbing but can be disastrous for the economy at a time when everybody thought that the pandemic, which had disrupted everyday life and crippled economic activity for two whole years, leaving millions of people jobless, was on the way to being consigned to the pages of history. That the Covid-19 monster has raised its ugly head once again has sent shivers down the spines of people and administrations in various countries.

India is still getting over the deleterious effects of the pandemic from fiscal 2020 and 2021, when the GDP growth crashed 23.9 per cent in response to the Centre’s abrupt lockdown. During fiscal 2020-21, India’s GDP shrank as much as 7.3 per cent – the worst performance of the Indian economy in any year since independence. On the whole, the impact of the pandemic has been large-scale disruption in terms of economic activity as well as loss of human lives.

Almost all sectors of the economy have been adversely affected as domestic demand as well as exports plummeted, with some notable exceptions where high growth was observed. Among sectors, aviation and tourism, including the hospitality segment, were hit hard and resulted in 38 million lay-offs. According to IATO estimates, these three segments might have incurred losses of about Rs 85 billion due to travel restrictions. Almost all other industrial segments, except a few like pharmaceuticals which thrived during the pandemic, suffered greatly, with hundreds of thousands of people dying and millions turning unemployed as the the economic and social life of the country was shattered.

Governments and people across the world are now well aware of the pandemic. There are disturbing signs of the revival of the pandemic in the shape of the PF7 variant of the Omicron strain. It is spreading like wildfire in China but that is no reason for India to be caught off guard as we now have the experience of having passed through the cruel ordeal.

Precautions and directives are a must at every stage. The plus point is that over 70 per cent of Indians are fully vaccinated, but unfortunately only 27 per cent have taken the booster dose. Neither the government nor the people should take this vaccination shortfall lightly.

The authorities and the people must know that if the country lowers its guard this time, the pandemic will administer a body blow to the economy and the impact will be even more serious than what was experienced in the recent past. The country had then paid a very heavy price for the initial lack of screening of inbound foreign travellers. Utmost care should be taken on this count at the earliest as the pandemic is once again spreading in several countries. People should also get serious about their duties and responsibilities, because if the country suffers it will be the common man who will have to pay the price. Experiences - good and bad - witnessed during the last couple of years should be our guide and it is the duty of everybody to ensure that India does not suffer the ill effects of the pandemic once again. And this is applicable to countries across the globe.