30 Jun 2020  |   04:59am IST

How can we get our grip back on tacking Corona?

The virus has been striking with increasing regularity; the numbers seem to be rising by the hour. This then begs the question of whether we need to go back to total lockdown, the cessation of interstate travel or do we need more testing. Café spoke to a cross-section of society to gauge the sentiment of the people with regards to the possibility of another lockdown.

Ajit John;

No lockdown but can weddings and aimless strolling stop?

I strongly recommend against total lockdown or stopping inter state transport. A hundred cases we have are well contained. Internally, I strongly believe we should not have people roaming around the place. Now weddings are taking place and people are playing in public. This is just not done. A full lockdown is just not possible, we can have containment zones. If there are several cases from one area then we can have a lockdown in that area. The problem is that ignorance is rampant and that is not helping matters. A full lockdown will have a dramatic effect on living conditions- Dr Shekhar Salkar  Manipal Hospital

 

Restrictions on movement may be a good idea

It may be a good idea for us to have restrictions on movement until the end of the year until the vaccine is available. We have already started working from home and go out only when unavoidable while keeping safe measures. It is how everybody should be until the vaccine comes out. However, basic necessities and other essentials should be available at all times. We have seen how the people at Mangor containment zone are unhappy with the way the government has handled the situation. Such areas would need basic healthcare and testing kits easily available-  Dr. Jennifer Lewis e Kamat, Director, Kamat Infra, Vasco

 

Have a lockdown, block interstate transport for 14 days

I don’t see much testing being done. I live in Cuncolim and I don’t know the radius of infection in that area. I strongly believe we should have a lockdown but it should be planned properly and ensure people have all the necessary supplies. That is the only way to control it since it is spreading so rapidly. I heard many villages have voluntarily gone into lockdown; I also believe that interstate transport should be blocked for at least fourteen days. I believe it will have to be planned properly and I think that since Goa is a small state it can be done- Milroy Goes, Film Director  

 

 

More testing and home quarantine but no lockdown

First, we have to check who are the people getting the virus. Did any tourist coming in bring the virus? I am specifically talking about people flying in. They are educated and they know the protocols involved. I don’t think a lockdown will help. Every village is having a lockdown some officially some unofficially. Some panchayats are announcing it others are not but it is still happening. There have been instances where people have taken the law into their own hands and closing everything down. What we need to be doing is more testing and rigorously ensure home quarantine where ever necessary- Savio Messias  Past President TTAG

 

Lockdown and interstate transport should stop

I strongly believe we need to have a complete lockdown. If we don’t we will have a large number of deaths. Interstate transport should be stopped. Business will recover but once a life is lost it’s lost forever- Bruno Gomindes MD Travco Holidays

 

Interstate travel should cease immediately

In my opinion, interstate travel should be immediately stopped and the testing speed should be increased. We as a state, are very small and the virus will not take time to spread. We must ensure to stay at home as much we can. A total state lockdown might be difficult but the containment zones should be locked down to prevent further spreading- Kajal Kapil Shah, Home Maker, St Inez, Panjim, Goa

 

Area wise swab collection and curfew on non essential travel

Area wise swab collection will help us identify the asymptomatic patients who may/may not be the super spreaders. Further on, a curfew for non-essential travel through the day, till we are able to control the doubling rate, will give the medical staff and structure enough time to focus on the existing active cases of Goa- Naina Hirani, Home-maker, Caranzalem, Goa

 

Get serious. Quarantine seems to be just a buzz word

‘Quarantine’ is the new buzz word without any safety measures being followed. Test results are available after 2-3 days. In the meantime, the person is busy interacting with the neighbourhood. The people being tested should be isolated at home with minimal contact and a foot-long list of dos and don’ts. Get serious- Keith Alvares, Businessman, Mapusa, Goa

 

 

Speaking medically and about the safety of our citizens, I truly feel the lockdown must be put into place again or should be extended. A lockdown period ensures that the individual, either COVID positive or not, is automatically home quarantined, which would massively decrease the risk of transmission of the virus-Dhruv Shah Student, (Third MBBS, GMC)