As the positivity numbers continue to aim for skies and beyond (a 46 per cent jump in a single day), any reasonable country would have geared up for battle mode. To give credit where due, the government has been ringing alarm bells for weeks now. Trying to replicate the previous successes (albeit, by a bare thread) in averting the perilous pandemic tide, flights from 16 hotspot destinations were banned while planning and health ministries rolled up their sleeves to turbo-charge vaccinations again. But when crossing the ambitious milestone of over 100 million jabs does little to flatten the curve, there is a serious need to look for solutions elsewhere. While the much-needed provision of booster shots should be commended, especially in the case of highly sensitive targets, the UN has started coming down hard on rolling out a tutty-fruity regime whenever a new variant rears up its menacing head. SOPs, SOPs and some more SOPs, health experts sign the lowdown. And this is where the perpetually in-vogue national obsession with flouting the rules kicks in. Numerous instances of trying to force one’s way inside sans masks or vaccination certificates are reported here, there, and everywhere. If we have moved beyond the overdone conspiracy theories and the divinely-gifted immunity, those insisting on the acquisition of herd immunity as means to finally shut the door on this lethal pathogen are ready to spill their blood. After all, what is coronavirus if not a cousin of dear-old flu? So what, if families lucky enough to be spared the heart-wrenching agony of seeing life slip through the fingers of their dear ones (without the luxury of farewell hugs) have become a collector’s item in the neverending dark days. The aggrieved may learn to move on someday but would our crippled economy–a regular visitor to the resuscitation ward–be able to ward off daggers falling from all directions? The tragic act has already begun as the stock market is losing points faster than a wink of an eye. 153 points off profit-taking won’t make much sense to everyone but buzzing speculations of yet another round of mini-lockdowns (that may well spread to the fickle notion of curfew-like restrictions) might whip up worries of delayed salaries, downsizing measures, operating costs, and whatnot. All this when electricity hikes and petrol price bombs continue to hit an ordinary Pakistani as he tries to pinch pennies here and save a rupee. Given the slim chances of respite, we are in quite a hurry to race past the shutdown post but coming out would not be so easy–both on the hungry bellies and a sinking economy. *