28% Indians plan to travel during Aug-Sept amid fear of Covid third wave: Report

Amid the possible threat of a third wave of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), as many as 28 per cent Indians are planning to travel during August to September, a new survey has projected.

Online platform LocalCircles conducted a survey in order to gauge the risk of a probable third wave of Covid-19, and also to understand people’s travel plans in the upcoming months. More than 18,000 responses from citizens living in 311 districts, with 68 per cent being men and the rest being women, were recorded.

LocalCircles stated that while 28 per cent are planning to travel between August and September, five per cent have already made their bookings for accommodation. Meanwhile, as many as 9,146 people (63 per cent) said that they don’t have any plan to travel during these months. “Nine per cent said they’re undecided,” the platform said in a statement.

“The government must continue to create awareness among people about limiting non-essential travel till the time the risk of a third Covid-19 wave greatly reduces,” the statement added.

LocalCircles also said that it will submit the survey findings to both central and state governments in order for them to use the same as an input in formulating policies to mitigate the risk of Covid-19 third wave.

Notably, a report by the State Bank of India (SBI) released earlier this month indicated that the third wave of coronavirus may hit the country from August, reaching its peak in September. “Going by the current data, India can experience daily Covid-19 cases around 10,000 somewhere around the second week of July. However, the cases can start rising by the second fortnight of August,” the report titled “Covid-19: the race to finishing line” and prepared by SBI Research, stated.

India recorded 39,742 new cases on Sunday, up from Saturday’s 39,097 – thereby taking the country’s cumulative tally of the infection rates to 31,371,901, according to data shared by the Union ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW).

Why do citizens want to travel amid a possible third wave?

The LocalCircles survey also aimed to understand the reason why people travelled during the second wave of Covid-19 in order to analyse their travel plans in the forthcoming months. It found that many faced teething issues to cancel their plan due to the travel agent or the airline not refunding anything while some entirely lost their ticket amount. Some citizens were unable to retrieve a partial amount, and others were told to re-book the ticket for a later date, the survey showed.

What kinds of travels do citizens plan?

The LocalCircles survey found that 13 per cent of people want to enjoy a “holiday destination”, while 39 per cent said that they would like to “visit family and friends.” A total of 22 per cent citizens said that they have “other travel” plans.

The report further stated that on an aggregate basis, of citizens with plans to travel during August to September, 54 per cent will be visiting friends and family and 26 per cent will be travelling to “holiday destinations”. Another 32 per cent citizens will be undertaking other kinds of travels, the statement noted.