Goa, it seems has weathered the storm created by the Corona virus. There has been no new infection reported for several weeks and no one died. The few cases that were detected were treated and everyone it seems in now safe and sound. That may be something to cheer about but in Goa everyone seems to treat it as if its all history now and everyone can move on. Media reports have highlighted cases of foreigners having parties in Pernem, people not maintaining the appropriate social distance at retail outlets and life generally moving towards how it was inthe pre covid 19 days. This is literally to dice with death. This begs the question as to what the people ought to be careful of to ensure the days of total lockdown are not back again.
Dr Shekhar Salkar Consultant Oncology, Manipal Hospital was categorical when he said it would all depend on how well one managed the borders. He said” There have been no cases in Goa for over twenty five days. People claim the number the tests conducted have been very low but I would like to say if that is the case then if there were people with the virus would have died. Even that has not happened. We should be very careful that people from red zones like Mumbai and Pune do not slip in Goa. we have to be very strict at the border. The police and the health officials have to check continoulsy. My friends in Mumbai and Pune want to come here because they are in places where the situation is very bad. We have to put our foot down and ensure taht the present state of affairs do not change. This will ensure we do not get a second wave”.
For Timothy Lobo who lived in the middle east for several years and who has now made Goa home, the situation in the state was good but the boders he felt had to stay closed and anyone who came in with goods had to be placed compulsorly in quarantine. Timothy said ” Fishing trawlers and other sea routes had to be tracked and all supply trucks should be under a twenty four hour cooling period atthe border. I however feel the 7 am to 7 pm rule was unnecessary, it makes no sense”. Avelino De sa of Drag said the problem in Goa was that people did not understand the meaning of social distancing and hence did not follow it. It was, he said important to maintain a social distance from those suffering from symptoms of cold or flu. Sidharth Mehta an entrepreneur in Margoa felt it was very important to ensure all protocols of sanitisation, wearing of mask
and socail distancing be maintained. He said ” If we as Goans can continue to have the Covid 19 Curve
flatted that will be the real victory and we can have our Hospitality and Tourism industry revive in the next few
months”. Vilas Gokul an ac technician from Fatorda said ” Life has changed so much since the first Lock
down was announced and now when Goa has emerged victorious we should not waste all the efforts put by
the administration in vain. We have to ensure that we maintain the social distance , Avoid parties and
Crowded places. For me as a Air Conditioner Technician i have to visit residential complexes and Commerical
places but as we are trained by company the daily cycle has changed now. we not only use hand gloves, face
maks but also carry hand sanitisors with us wherever we go. In these times of crises if we Goans just act
irresponsible and dont follow the guidelines the entire society will be at risk. I hope the vaccine comes out
soon which will be a big relief to all of us”. Maintaining vigilance at the border was the central theme of Pooja
Kamat a housewife from Kundaim Ponda. She said ” It is very important that we keep the Goan Borders
sealed and there should be no inter state travel allowed as both Maharashtra and Karnataka have been
reported with highest number of Covid 19 cases. It is disappointing to see large gatherings and people going
out as if nothing has happened show they have mis-calculated the dangers behind the invisible enemy.The
need of the hour is that we take precautions and support the administration in the fight”.
The effect of the virus on tourism in Canacona was highlighted by Kaushal Patil who said ” Coming from a small town like Canacona it is really difficult as our main source of income is through tourism. Goa may have been declared a Green Zone but it is way to early to declare victory against the virus in real terms. We have to ensure that we continue social distancing in true letter and spirit. Life is completely out of gear for most of us and if we have to get back on track we have to come together by maintaining social distancing at all times.”
Perhaps no one feels the effects of the lockdown more than Shubham Faldesai from Quepem who was sceduled to fly to Europe the day the lockdown was announced. He said ” We have no idea how long the hospitality industry will take to recover and we in Goa have been lucky to have escaped the dangers of the worst pandemic in living memory. If we party and move around in crowds we will have wasted all our efforts to get over this virus. We will then pay a bigger cost and even more severe lockdowns. We have to maintain social distancing and create a healthy enviornment for all of us”
Dr Shekhar Salkar Consultant Oncology, Manipal Hospital was categorical when he said it would all depend on how well one managed the borders. He said” There have been no cases in Goa for over twenty five days. People claim the number the tests conducted have been very low but I would like to say if that is the case then if there were people with the virus would have died. Even that has not happened. We should be very careful that people from red zones like Mumbai and Pune do not slip in Goa. we have to be very strict at the border. The police and the health officials have to check continoulsy. My friends in Mumbai and Pune want to come here because they are in places where the situation is very bad. We have to put our foot down and ensure taht the present state of affairs do not change. This will ensure we do not get a second wave”.
For Timothy Lobo who lived in the middle east for several years and who has now made Goa home, the situation in the state was good but the boders he felt had to stay closed and anyone who came in with goods had to be placed compulsorly in quarantine. Timothy said ” Fishing trawlers and other sea routes had to be tracked and all supply trucks should be under a twenty four hour cooling period atthe border. I however feel the 7 am to 7 pm rule was unnecessary, it makes no sense”. Avelino De sa of Drag said the problem in Goa was that people did not understand the meaning of social distancing and hence did not follow it. It was, he said important to maintain a social distance from those suffering from symptoms of cold or flu. Sidharth Mehta an entrepreneur in Margoa felt it was very important to ensure all protocols of sanitisation, wearing of mask
and socail distancing be maintained. He said ” If we as Goans can continue to have the Covid 19 Curve
flatted that will be the real victory and we can have our Hospitality and Tourism industry revive in the next few
months”. Vilas Gokul an ac technician from Fatorda said ” Life has changed so much since the first Lock
down was announced and now when Goa has emerged victorious we should not waste all the efforts put by
the administration in vain. We have to ensure that we maintain the social distance , Avoid parties and
Crowded places. For me as a Air Conditioner Technician i have to visit residential complexes and Commerical
places but as we are trained by company the daily cycle has changed now. we not only use hand gloves, face
maks but also carry hand sanitisors with us wherever we go. In these times of crises if we Goans just act
irresponsible and dont follow the guidelines the entire society will be at risk. I hope the vaccine comes out
soon which will be a big relief to all of us”. Maintaining vigilance at the border was the central theme of Pooja
Kamat a housewife from Kundaim Ponda. She said ” It is very important that we keep the Goan Borders
sealed and there should be no inter state travel allowed as both Maharashtra and Karnataka have been
reported with highest number of Covid 19 cases. It is disappointing to see large gatherings and people going
out as if nothing has happened show they have mis-calculated the dangers behind the invisible enemy.The
need of the hour is that we take precautions and support the administration in the fight”.
The effect of the virus on tourism in Canacona was highlighted by Kaushal Patil who said ” Coming from a small town like Canacona it is really difficult as our main source of income is through tourism. Goa may have been declared a Green Zone but it is way to early to declare victory against the virus in real terms. We have to ensure that we continue social distancing in true letter and spirit. Life is completely out of gear for most of us and if we have to get back on track we have to come together by maintaining social distancing at all times.”
Perhaps no one feels the effects of the lockdown more than Shubham Faldesai from Quepem who was sceduled to fly to Europe the day the lockdown was announced. He said ” We have no idea how long the hospitality industry will take to recover and we in Goa have been lucky to have escaped the dangers of the worst pandemic in living memory. If we party and move around in crowds we will have wasted all our efforts to get over this virus. We will then pay a bigger cost and even more severe lockdowns. We have to maintain social distancing and create a healthy enviornment for all of us”
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