The last couple of days have been pretty dire for Goa. The number of deaths per day has almost touched two digits and the cases detected have been increasing at their regular pace. The demands of the economy have resulted in establishments being opened and people moving towards their routines of old. This could be motivated by the thinking the virus will be a companion for a while. The question that needs to be asked is if Goa has let its guard down in its fight against the virus? Dr Shekhar Salkar who has been in the middle of it all laughed with resignation and said the public had taken their eyes off the ball. He said “The boundaries have been opened and the families are now moving around without any restrictions. I know of families where all the members are positive. If you go to the fish market, no one is maintaining social distancing. Soon the temples, churches and mosques will be open; one can only imagine what will happen. The government is doing its best but the people seem to have switched off from the virus”. He advised caution saying that Goa had not experienced the first peak as yet and it was building up to that and the people would have to stay alert. Vasco he said had witnessed a peak and was now down but Goa as a whole had not yet reached that level as yet. The road ahead he said was long because Delhi he said was now moving towards its second peak and that would take time in Goa. Hence the people of Goa would have to snap out of this casual attitude and stay alert. Another doctor who is involved in the fight against the virus, Dr Lloyd Fernandes also laughed and said the people of Goa had let their guard down a couple of months earlier. He said “When the lockdown was first announced it was believed the medical infrastructure would be worked on and made ready but that just did not happen. The move to take people from home and put them in centres was wrong. Now that is being sorted out with home quarantine being allowed and doctors being given responsibilities in each area to go and check them in the mornings and evenings. The forceful eviction in the beginning made people frightened and caused a stigma. That has still remained; the people now are just going about their lives behaving as if things are ok. That’s not good.” Dr Oscar Rebello how ever did not believe that Goans had let their guard down. He said the virus had percolated into each and every corner and it was so rampant that it was now difficult to control. He however said that the situation was not being helped by people gathering for weddings and other social occasions resulting in the virus spreading. He said “I know of a part where one person was positive but he then spread it to ten in that party. The government may have opened up but it is up to the people to exercise caution and stay away”. Dr Vibhas Prabhudessai had a good laugh and said the medical fraternity had not dropped the ball but the people of Goa had certainly decided for themselves that the virus would be living with them for a while and it would be ok to go back to their old routines. He said “Some people think they can handle the virus but then spread it to others. The public and the medical fraternity have to help each other” The medical fraternity may have definite opinions but general folk in Goa too tended to agree with this conclusion. Kabir Pinto Makhija said Goa and its people had most definitely let their guard down in the present scenario and it was very troubling to see locals and tourists alike throwing caution to the wind and roaming around like things were normal!! It was important to stay vigilant and as a society take the necessary precautions to keep this virus from spreading. Joseph Rodrigues who has dedicated his life to spreading the skills of Karate said he totally agreed with the notion that Goans had let their guard down in the fight against the virus. He said “This government is not focused. We could be a model state, but the people who have the take decisions in their hands needed to be a bit vigilant and we would be okay but that is not happening”. One can only hope Goans rein in their natural urge to go out and meet people and have fun because the virus could be just waiting for them.
