Chennai, Jun 22 (IANS): With Tamil Nadu maintaining a declining trend in daily Covid-19 cases and a steady increase in vaccination, most people of the state have started throwing caution to the winds and are flouting Covid protocols in public places.

Mariappan. M, a health worker from Teynampet area told IANS, "People were again seen without mask or not wearing their mask properly, some others not maintaining social distancing norms. If this trend continues, the pandemic will resurface with its full fury within a few days."

Sujith Chandran, microbiologist with a leading government medical college in Chennai, said: "I think we will witness another wave of pandemic soon and it need not be the third wave and all. This will be out of sheer callousness and irresponsibility."

"Vaccination is an important step, so is wearing a mask properly, abiding by the social distancing norms and also sanitising hands frequently. One cannot go and mingle freely as we used to before the pandemic, it's a big NO."

Most people in Chennai, Madurai, Kanyakumari, Nagercoil and other major towns of Tamil Nadu are refusing to wear masks as they feel that they have fought off the disease.

Even though fines up to Rs 300 are being levied on people for not wearing masks or not maintaining social distancing, they don't seem to bother.

Rajesh Pirabahakaran, a pulmonary physician at Madurai, said, "Masks are important to prevent infected droplets from reaching the air and the uninfected from breathing in the air. If we don't wear masks, then we are inviting trouble. These microscopic particles can hang in the air for a long time and hence wearing of masks is compulsory and mandatory for a long time now."

In almost all the markets in Chennai, people are seen violating Covid norms, which is keeping the police and health officials on their toes.