2020 is gone, Covid-19 is not.Vaccine or no vaccine, the mask is imperative.

A group comprising doctors, public health experts and people from various other walks of life came together on the last day of the year to warn Calcuttans against any complacency in the fight against the pandemic.

The group undertook tram rides and organised street play to convey their message. The first meeting point was the Esplanade tram depot. The programme was flagged off with a street play. The participants then boarded a tram, decked out with posters and images of masked faces and sanitisers. A similar drive will be organised on Friday as well.

“We are going to end this year with Covid, and probably we are going to start the new year with clouds of Covid again. We need to keep hammering the message that wearing a mask is the most important and effective tool against the virus,” said Parthasarathi Mukherjee, a public health researcher and part of the Covid Care Network that organised the programme.

The network comprises health department officials, doctors and Covid survivors.

On Thursday, the tram stopped at Shyambazar before coming back to Esplanade and heading to Gariahat. The street play emphasised the need to maintain Covid-19 protocols and stand by those affected by the virus and their family members.

Metro had earlier this month reported how Covid patients and their families across the city are still pariahs to a section of neighbours.

“The buzz around Covid-19 vaccines has made many people complacent. With new Covid cases going down and 2020 coming to an end, many people are thinking the virus has been defeated. Many have stopped wearing masks and following other Covid-19 protocols,” said Sayantan Chakraborty, a doctor and part of the Covid Care Network.