FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2024
R. Fernandes
This has reference to the report carried by Herald Café, 7/4, Nightlife Stakeholders say no to curfew! The reasons given by all, including an oncologist? are nothing but excuses to make a ‘killing’, pun intended. If they are so crazy for money, then they can write a book on the above! These excuses are not unlike the ones given by Covid patients who would not test, as disclosed in the article in Herald Café dated 30/3: by Dr C Nayak: I ate ice-cream so got sore throat, I get allergy this time of the year, my Oxygen level is 98% etc!
WHO says from day 1: wear triple layered cloth masks, keep distance of 2m, wash hands regularly, keep away from crowds. If this is done, then the same gives 91% efficacy: more than your vaccine. But all must be done together.
Myth 1: Curfew will not work. Must jab everyone. Fact: It will stop crowded places where masks too are not worn. Do clubs reduce capacity to ensure social distancing? The jab will take: 6 months, 1 year, 2 years? So, exhibit patience before you contribute to rising cases and deaths.
Myth 2: You cannot shut down everything. Why? If the country is at war, will you continue having Night life with full blown lights? Is Covid not a war on people
Myth 3, from an Oncologist? Has lockdown in Maharashtra helped? Hoteliers are screaming there. People must be disciplined, that is the only way. Fact: If lockdown was enforced much earlier, when the trend was going up, they would not be in the present situation. The stitch was not given in time. Hoteliers are screaming in much the same way smokers/cigarette manufacturers scream at the ban on public smoking: must we relent? From March 8 to April 4: we see rising Positive cases from 15388 to 103558 which is 6.7 times while, Deaths: 77 to 478 which is 6.3 times increase! In Nagpur, people are dying from scarcity of medical oxygen!
This means nothing? How many smokers have died in this period?
Look at Singapore: Total deaths: 30, total cases-not daily- in the above period: 432! Goa’s daily cases are more than 300! Why? Even with these figures, Singapore still asks for RT-PCR negative tests plus quarantine. In January 2021, they created a bubble conference room at Changi: glass partitioned room where the foreign investors were brought without quarantine to meet with local businessmen! The problem here is ‘attitude’.
If this is the attitude of stakeholders in the current crisis: what will happen after the vaccination? Masks, overcrowding, social distancing to be thrown out because hoteliers are screaming? The stakeholders are setting a precedence- at the cost of people lives and livelihood- that post vaccination no SOPs will be required. Perhaps, after all is said and done, curfew will not help? True: not until we change the current stakeholders if their attitude is so rigid.
It is no very clear, from the horses’ mouths, that the lockdown parties in Goa were with the full knowledge of the hotel stakeholders! Mind you, you will not see the owners ‘mingling’ with the tourists!
