A film director, a role that requires social interaction, has been in self-imposed isolation ever since
the carnival came to an end. Pervis Milroy Goes decided to conduct his meetings
telephonically or use social media. Interactions with visitors to his house would
be conducted from the balcony. His brother cancelled the one-year old birthday
of his son. These have been some of the measures taken by him and his family in
the time of the coronavirus. Strange times require out of the box thinking.
Attended by large numbers despite the
obvious dangers present of possible infection. The government has enforced
legislation and shut pubs, discos and schools. This presents a rather mixed
picture. Has this virus had an effect on social interaction. It is not unusual
for a greeting to involving kissing on the cheeks or even a handshake. Has this
been replaced by the namaste? And yes, are there sanitisers in the workplace
and how are people protecting themselves in offices.
Ashwini Franco a Zumba instructor said she was in a role that
required a great deal of social interaction and she was taking precautions
while in public. She said “No handshakes for sure, a hi is fine and yes we
greet each other with a namaste. Even if the other person forgets, I remind of
the times we live in. better safe than sorry. Social kissing is a no no and
that has not been happening for a while. With regards to sanitisers, I used to
always carry one in my bag and use it regularly. Now it has become even more
frequent”.
Another one with a public profile is KezaiaCaldeira Miss Goa
2018, Model and now a MC. She has not moved out of the house and whenever she
does avoids shaking hands. She has been following instructions to avoid any
hardship in the future. She said “All the events have been cancelled till the
end of the month which I think is a good move”.
However, like everything in life, there is also another side to
the story. JojoD’souza writer and director laughed and said “We are conducting
ourselves as if we have superpowers. We have not woken up to the seriousness of
the threat. People are still going on with their regular lives. They are having
parties as if nothing is happening. Sadly, the educated are not following
instructions. In Mumbai they are in lockdown. Then there are people who are
taking advantage of the situation. In Margao some people it seems were dipping
bottles into wells and trying to sell them as sanitizers. It is very
disappointing. Everyone has to take responsibility. Companies have to be
socially responsible and keep sanitizers at the entrance and ensure the virus
does not spread”.
A company that is going to great lengths to ensure the virus
does not spread is Travco, the travel major based in Margao. Bruno Gomindes
said hand sanitisers were placed at the entrance as well as on each and every
table. He said “We meet so many people every day who want to travel out of the
country every day. My employees have been given gloves and masks with which
they can interact with the clients. We have to be very careful in these times”.
As far as personal interaction he said they were all avoiding handshakes.
In a couple of weeks, Easter will be celebrated, an occasion
which will mean crowds at churches. The general sentiment was that it made a
lot of sense to avoid any problems by staying at home. It was also felt the
church will expectedly advise people to maintain distance which would help the
everyone to get a better sense of the situation.
One
can only hope Goa, does not suffer the rough end of the stick which could be
devastating for everyone.
