FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2024
On the evening Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the nationwide lockdown would be extended, Goa was cruising along with no active COVID-19 cases in the State. The seven patients that had been detected in late March and early April had all recovered and had been sent home, after treatment and the mandatory long quarantine even after recovery. There was something to look forward to beginning May 18, when Green Zone Goa would be more relaxed.
A government that had managed to keep the novel coronavirus at bay was looking at an exit from the lockdown that would allow a range of activities to begin. The Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education announced the Class X and pending Class XII exams, which as of now are going to be held as scheduled. The Chief Minister had spoken of restarting tourism in the State. Increased economic activity with hotels, restaurants and gyms opening up was spoken of by Cabinet ministers. The Prime Minister’s speech was looked forward to, not to learn of any extension of the lockdown – that was expected – but for announcements that would take Goa to huge steps towards the new normal that we would be living in. That the PM didn’t announce the details didn’t matter, Goa was still going ahead with its plans for exiting the lockdown.
But then the situation changed quickly. A government that had spoken of tourism and starting inter-State buses and train services, going against the major sentiment that these should not happen, was shaken by seven new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. All were of persons who had entered the State that day and had been tested at the borders and isolated. A day later, a seafarer returning to Goa, and who had spent 14 days in quarantine in Mumbai also tested positive. Again, some 48 hours later, two more persons who had returned and been quarantined also tested positive for the virus. From zero active cases, Goa’s tally had moved to ten active cases, which upsets the revival plans in a major way.
The Chief Minister who had said he could not stop the train services as it was the Centre’s decision, was now announcing that the State would ask the railways to skip Goa stations as a stop. In the meantime, a train with its destination Kerala had already disembarked some 15 passengers in Goa, and another with its destination Margao and bringing 780 passengers to the State had started its journey to Goa. It arrived on Saturday and around 200 alighted. How did a government that had tightly sewed up its borders and managed to sail through the lockdowns, suddenly fare so miserably? The manner in which the government has performed in the last few days, is similar to the time in March when it went ahead with the foolhardy decision of holding Shigmo parades and adamantly stuck to its decision to hold the Zilla Panchayat elections, until it was forced to back down.
Against this background, can Goa begin this week with the confidence that it began the last one? It was seven days away from being one of the few States that had successfully defended itself from the virus. But the open border policy upturned the situation for Goa. The mainstream media – Herald in particular – and also the social media, political opponents and the common citizens had all cautioned against opening the borders. Why then did the government ignore this and go ahead with this decision? There are Goan football teams that have quite a reputation of snatching defeat from the cusp of victory. This is what the State government has done, faltering badly in the last mile and not just losing the game, but also earning a red card for its efforts.
