THURSDAY, MAY 09, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: While you may be confined to your home due to the night curfew, visitors to the offshore casinos have no such restriction. Casinos have been allowed to continue operations even during the night curfew hours, but here’s another relaxation. Sources told Herald that those visiting the casinos are allowed to disembark thrice during the night curfew time – midnight, 3 am and 6 am – the last at the hour the curfew ends.
A month ago when a few casino employees tested positive for COVID-19 there were demands from every quarter to shut down these operations. The government did not heed these.
A month later, as COVID-19 struck back, questions are being raised about the special treatment to casino operators. Medical experts in particular, on condition of anonymity, have raised apprehensions that casinos could be super spreaders of the coronavirus.
Medical experts that Herald spoke to conceded that among local COVID-19 patients, there are some non-Goans, a clear indication that among the patients are tourists and these are probably casino visitors and called for temporarily shutting them down.
“Cases have already emerged from the casinos. It has also spread as they come in contact with so many people. Shutting it down temporarily can help reduce cases to a certain level rather than thinking about economic activity. If there is life, there will be business and earning,” said a health professional.
With the average daily cases rising, Goa government’s decision to allow casino operations despite Section 144 of the CrPC and night curfew being imposed have not gone down well with many. Besides, it was pointed out, last year the casinos were locked down as all other establishments, but when the country went into unlock mode, casinos were among the last to open, an indication of how these can spread the virus quickly.
“They (casinos visitors) have become carriers and if Maharashtra and Karnataka have imposed restrictions on people travelling from Goa, it means Goa is turning into a super spreader,” Captain Viriato Fernandes, who has objected to the casino operations continuing, said.
“Since last year when the pandemic first struck Goa, there has always been some relaxation given to casinos, night clubs and all these entertainment venues. On the other hand, the common man in a disciplined manner follows the directives
issued by the authorities,” Fernandes added.
Roland Martins, from the civic and consumer group has suggested that no establishment should get preferential treatment at the cost of the lives of the citizens. “Nobody should get any preferential treatment because it creates an imbalance in the economic activity. Small businesses feel the pinch and to avoid that government should do a rethink. Casinos have more people from outside States and therefore keeping a check would be more complicated. They can be super spreaders,” he said.
Despite the night curfew, casinos continue to get visitors as tourist inflow – although slowed – has not been completely shut.
Points raised are that the casinos get people from various places and the touch points in gaming halls and restaurants are many, significantly increasing the risk of spreading the virus. This is unlike industry, where workers do not mingle with each other and so the risk is less.
There have also been reports from neighbouring North Kannada district in Karnataka that several people travel to Goa on a daily basis to exclusively visit casinos. As per a report, many people from Chitradurga, Hubballi-Dharwad, Davanagere, Haveri, Ranebennur, Gadag, Vijaypura, Bagalkot and other areas visit the casinos and run the risk of not only being infected but also carrying the virus back across the border and to their homes.
Although the crowd has reduced in the wake of rising cases across the country, sources said tourists are still visiting these vessels. Night curfew has also not stopped them from “enjoying” during the pandemic times.
