SOPs, masks in Goan ferry boats?
The life is slowly returning to its active state as before albeit under the cloud of the Corona virus with the resumption of most economic activities. There is a rush under peak hours. Social distancing, use of mask is widely extolled as a preventive measure. On this occasion of Goa’s ferry services, the difficulties of commuters face on their journeys in following social distancing and using mask norms. Yet people are taking the pandemic lightly. The government must put heavy fines on people breaking rules of distancing and use of mask.
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One has to understand the seriousness of Corona virus spreading all over. It is the incapable government to be blamed for not managing the crisis? Being an island, people have no other options of transportation. It’s also suggested that ferry boats connecting islands to the mainland need periodic inspections and maintenance while there is also need to provide adequate life-saving equipment.
K G Vilop, Chorao
Curfew, lockdown reduce deaths
The Goa government was very reluctant to declare a lockdown in April 21 when the situation demanded and doctors expressed their strong opinion in favour of it with the result that the positivity rate of Covid infection climbed to 55 per cent in the State, the highest in the country. Ultimately, due to persistent requests of the people and experts, the government declared a curfew on May 9 which has been extended from time to time, the last extension being up to Jun 21.
The good results are now there for all to see. The count of daily cases has come down to 253 and the number of Covid related deaths to a single digit of 9. The positivity rate has also come down though there is need to bring it down further. Surely the curfew and the restrictions have affected business, income and caused inconvenience to many. But this is a sacrifice one has to make to check the fierce spread of the killer virus and no cause is greater than the cause of saving the precious lives of people.
Rodney de Souza,
Assagao
Dharavi – a case study for a pandemic
Last year when Covid-19 made its entry into India most people, especially in Mumbai, were in a state of trepidation as what would be the outcome if Dharavi was to bear the brunt of the virus. There were predictions that the number of casualties and fatalities would be in hundreds this is because people live cheek-by-jowl in so-called squalor conditions.
Again, this year during the 2nd wave people were worried of the outcome. Fortunately, during both the waves the number of cases were less as compared to other areas in Mumbai in particular and Maharashtra in general. Hats off to the authorities, health care workers (especially the young medicos) and volunteers for taking preventive and innovative actions and going all-out to help the people. The efforts also bore fruit since the residents of Dharavi were inspired to cooperate in spite of the hardships they faced in terms of lack of food and loss of work. The world is stunned that Dharavi escaped unscathed from the virus and all the doomsday scenarios went kaput.
Considering the population, environment and ethnicities of the people in Dharavi, a case study could be made to address the enigmatic questions as to how and why the people were not severely affected? Which were the resilient conditions that saved Dharavi from a sure-fire catastrophe? By accessing different datasets, doctors, bio-statisticians and other experts could evolve a model that would of immense benefit for any (God forbid) pandemic in the future.
Sridhar D’Iyer,
Caranzalem
Not the time to be complacent
With 253 new COVID-19 cases, Goa on Monday reported the lowest daily count of cases in the last two and a half months, while new deaths also reduced to single digits. However, the positivity rate continues to be high at 14.92 per cent. Due to the reduction in the number of positive cases, it is now observed that many people have thrown caution to the wind. They no longer follow the pandemic protocols.
It may be recalled that at the end of the first wave, people behaved in a similar manner and the second wave caught the general public by surprise, leading to a large number of positive cases and deaths. This is not the time to take things lightly. This is not the time to be complacent. A third wave has been forecast by the experts which could be worse than the second one.
I was a victim of the COVID-19 virus during the second wave and had to go through hell. I almost saw death face-to-face and was lucky to get through after being treated in a private hospital. The coronavirus, especially the mutated one, is very dangerous and should not be taken lightly. The only way to defeat the third wave, if and when it comes, is to stay indoors and follow all SOPs if it is absolutely necessary to move out. At no cost let the guard down. Stay safe.
Adelmo Fernandes,
Vasco
Of slack shack season
Covid has completely obliterated the beach shack business and for the past two years shacks have been operating only in name. In a welcome move the need for applying for an excise licence at the commencement of every season has been done away with as the government has extended the validity of the previously granted ELs to five years.
But there is a small anomaly at play here, the period of licence issued by the tourism authority to set up beach shacks is three years and as shacks are randomly allotted through a draw of lots it is not necessary that the same operator shall be granted permit to put up a shack after the expiry of the licence span.
The excise licence should be made concurrent with the period of allotment of the shack otherwise this will lead to confusions galore. An extension of at least two years should be granted to existing operators to make up for the loss of custom during the previous seasons. There is no guarantee that tourists will return in droves given the pandemic induced travel restrictions across the world.
Vinay Dwivedi,
Benaulim
Unusual craving for a male child
After the recent report of a woman allegedly abducting a male child from hospital has reminded me of a conversation that happened a few years ago. I used to travel to work by car pool, one of the co passengers was casually discussing about his progeny, in which he said he has 3 daughters, and one son calling him as their “aadhar card”. Deep within he felt a sense of safety. I was appalled.
This incident is deeply ingrained in my memory till date. This misogyny has been a part of our society since inception, and the woman in question has been the victim of it. No-one is born a criminal, circumstances push one to be. Such women are judged if they express opinions or pass judgements in the family or society. They find themselves woven intricately into the fibre of patriarchal, gender-biased society. They are tainted and tortured for not conceiving the torchbearer of the family. Such problems have been innate with civilizations across the globe.
It’s disheartening to also know that the mother in laws are also a part of the male-child game. This brings to the fore consistent problem of craving for a male-child in the family which some of the revolutionaries in the past have been fighting tooth-and-nail to eradicate, and few of them still continue to do.
Raghav Gadgil,
Khandola
