26 May 2020  |   04:08am IST

Has Goa “landed” in trouble?

Cases increasing everyday seems to make for very depressing reading. Did the Goan government commit a blunder by allowing flights to land without making testing and quarantine compulsory as other states have done
Has Goa “landed” in trouble?

Ajit John

Some days it is a sprint

and others a slow and steady crawl. Oh yes, make no mistake the numbers are increasing every day. Internationally India is now the 10th most affected country. At the micro level, Goa registered its 56th case since the lockdown was eased. It seems just like yesterday when Goa was absolutely free. No Covid 19 cases and more importantly no transmission into the community. Then the lockdown was eased, people were allowed to come in. And then it all started.

Like everything in life there are ways to look at things. Medical professionals were divided as whether this was part of the entire process and if it was unfair to point fingers at the government. Dr Madhu Gawde, based in the South Goa district hospital felt it was part of the flow of business and Goa was in no way losing the plot. He said “There are phases and I remember in the beginning some people believed the virus would not come to Goa. To do so would be to live in a fool’s paradise. You have to remember a lockdown is not a solution to the virus. It was meant to buy time and get one’s systems in place. We knew people would come. Talk to people in Dharavi, UK and other western countries, the people who were affected and survived are now absolutely fine. None of them have been infected again. The people who died were the aged and mainly smokers and drug addicts. India learned how to handle it from the experiences of the west”.

Another senior health professional Dr Francisco Colaco did not mice words when he said “ So far, not necessarily because of the government policies, but owing to several innate favourable factors, Goa has been spared of the brunt of Covid. But now, with the massive influx of people, with the Govt in a confused state, all at sixes and sevens, lacking the will to institute strong measures to scrutinize and test the influx of people, it is well-nigh possible that we are on the verge of losing the battle against Covid and having the chagrin of seeing Goa turn from a Green zone into an orange one. Pray that those at the helm, instead of an amateurish attitude will work in right earnest and will evince a serious and concerned approach to save us from a possible inferno.”

Vasquito who is a wonderful addition to a fine line of Goan chefs is also known for speaking rather plainly when needed. He felt it was unfair to blame the government. He said “You have to understand there is tremendous pressure from various lobbies like TTAG, especially from the big hotel groups who want the hotels to open for business. Everyone, you have to remember have lost a lot of money. It’s all about economics. We cannot be like this forever. We have to open up and learn to live with the virus. If it is not done then we will have people dying from starvation”.

That is really the point. Allowing flights to land may be justified only if we insist on a COVID test on landing for all and compulsory quarantine for all without any distinction

Actor and social activist Meenacshi Martins felt Goa had maintained a tight grip on the situation and therefore so many people were identified as positive for COVID 19 at the border entry points. She said “Pandemics are rare and we should have formed a taskforce to appropriately manage the overall situation at the very onset. Now it is damage control measures that need to be put in place. Most important is handling the undue fear and paranoia associated with the viral infection. For this there ought to have been larger canvassed awareness programs. Goans have a right to come home. To make it safe for them and the population in Goa is a duty that the government has to undertake on priority basis”.

It remains to be seen how this will eventually turn out. Goa has been lucky, but then one could say, luck is an important part in the mix.

IDhar UDHAR

Idhar Udhar