VASCO: There has been an increasing number of voices for imposing a lockdown in Vasco. Some however, feel that the government should first put in place a plan to ensure that the ‘locks’ in Vasco do not get affected by the lockdown in terms of supply of essential commodities and are also given a clear picture about when it will start and culminate. A small section is however of the opinion that a lockdown is not required although they feel the people should be more responsible in terms of following all safety norms.
Jose Philip D’Souza, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Goa chief and former Vasco MLA said he has been demanding a Vasco lockdown to curb the spread of these cases, since the beginning of the COVID outbreak.
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“Numerous cases have emerged in parts of Vasco outside the containment zone such as Baina, Khariwado, Sada, Shantinagar etc. During the recent all-party meeting with the Chief Minister, I had demanded for a total Vasco lockdown simply to stop the spread of this virus elsewhere,” he added.
“More than 50 per cent of the COVID cases are from Vasco area. So, by now, there should have been a lockdown in Vasco but the MLA who is the Minister from the neighbouring constituency is not pursuing or pushing for a lockdown in Vasco,” he claimed.
D’Souza added that people should not do anything on their own with regards to the lockdown and that they should co-operate and support the elected representatives, ministers who have the authority to take the right decisions in people’s interest.
Mormugao Municipal Council Chairperson, Nandadeep Raut, opined that the government should have imposed a 15-day-lockdown in Vasco when the first five cases were initially detected.
“By doing that, the cases would have not increased and the infection could have been contained. Imposing the lockdown now is of no use as the cases have surfaced in other areas too. Putting a lockdown for a few days will not solve the issue now and how many times can we put a lockdown?” Raut questioned.
Jenifer Lewis, who is part of a local group called Vascokars United, said the lockdown would only be feasible if the government can cater to the needs of the large population of the port town.
“A Vasco lockdown can be thought of, if the situation is such that all the necessary arrangements specifically with regards to food and grocery supply are taken care of.
At the time when the COVID cases first surfaced, the government should have at that point, completed the medical check-ups of the people from the containment zone quickly. But the government failed to do so,” Lewis added.
Preetam Naik, youth leader and social worker from Vasco, opined that there should be a lockdown for at least 15 to 20 days in Vasco, while raising concerns about the entry of ‘outsiders’ into Goa.
“Recently several legislators including councillors were demanding for a lockdown. The government should have considered this demand. There should be a total Vasco lockdown, during which period there should be check-ups done of the people from Vasco. This should be done quickly. Also, those non-Goan women who sell fish without wearing masks or taking other precautions should be stopped,” he said.
He further suggested that some temporary COVID hospital arrangements should be done at some farm houses, etc which are far from the towns and densely populated places.
Offering a different perspective was Vasco local, Bharat Kamat who said that there is no need of imposing a lockdown in Vasco. “Coronavirus is not spreading because of there being a lockdown or no lockdown. It is spreading because of the casual attitude of the people. People tend to neglect the seriousness of the disease and they don’t follow the safety norms such as maintaining social distance, wearing mask, hand sanitising etc,” he said.
“We have to be very cautious and yet continue with our normal routine. Coronavirus might continue to remain for one year but that doesn’t mean we should lockdown everything for one year. We just need to follow the norms strictly and take care of ourselves” he added.
