Four years of lockdown and Covid-19: Paying tribute to lives lost to pandemic
Times of India | 25 March 2024
Kolkata: People from all walks of life gathered at Mohor Kunja on the Cathedral Road on Sunday to offer floral tributes to those who lost their lives to Covid 19. Four years ago on March 24, the nation went into a shutdown after being hit by the first wave of Covid pandemic.
The memorial meet was organized by Covid Care Network (CCN). The attendees remembered those who couldn’t be cremated by their family members due to pandemic restrictions. The CCN — a body that works to provide assistance to the Covid-affected families — wants March 24 to be declared National Covid Memorial Day (NCMD).
Even as the virus has lost its sting now, families of those who lost their loved ones continue to grieve and struggle to come to terms with their losses, both emotional and financial. “I am still struggling to stay afloat with two kids after I lost my husband to Covid,” said Radha Mondal, whose software engineer husband died during the second wave.
“We lost thousands to the virus. They are Covid martyrs and we want to create a repository on them. NCMD will not only be a tribute to them but also for us to introspect and remain pandemic prepared,” said hepatologist and a member of CCN, Abhijit Chowdhury.
“It was like a fierce battle where we fought an unknown enemy. Amid the joy of saving lives, we lost many. I still get nightmares when I recollect those days,” said Yogiraj Ray, associate professor of infectious diseases.
Former director medical services, Ajay Chakraborty, who was at the helm during the pandemic and infectious diseases specialist, Sayantan Banerjee, who was part of the Covid team at ID Hospital Beliaghata, also attended the meet.
CCN has also moved the Supreme Court with a PIL on right to commemorate the Covid martyrs.