It seems like a page out of a Stephen King novel. The source of evil has made itself known. But the people of the village are not completely convinced as yet. However when the second wave of evil events began the villagers decided to initiate some steps to perhaps show they were serious at tackling this problem. Something similar is perhaps happening in Goa too. The virus has been present in the state all along. It was continuously infecting people in the state. It moved with stealth and maintained a count. Then it decided to change gears and come out aggressively in the open. The state responded with some steps like banning the meeting of over 50 people congregating in one place. Is it a case of too little too late?
Dr Lloyd Fernandes who practices in Calangute was emphatic when he said the situation was really bad. He said “Even allowing 50 people to come together is not a good idea. I think only essential services and businesses should be allowed to operate. The first lockdown had a dramatic effect on the economy of the country and the state and that has to be avoided thats why I mentioned businesses. I strongly believe that all political and religious gatherings should be banned immediately because they are unnecessary”. He said it was obvious to all that the medical facilities would not be able to accommodate any more patients. He said for the past couple of days he had ten to twelve cases he knew were positive coming over to his dispensary. He said “This is just one dispensary; image the count in the others. For barely one perhaps in a week or two last month to this situation today, the situation has certainly changed dramatically.”
Shekhar Salkar optomologist at Manipal Hospital said the virus was now in the air and it was now spreading in the community. He said “Nothing can be done unless the people start wearing maaks. Look at Maharashtra, the number of cases have not reduced. We need restrictions but the people have to learn to behave too. I think we have to also catch and impose a penalty. When should walk into these marriage celebrations where there are more than the crowd allowed, they should be fined Rs 50,000 and their details should be reported in the media. There has to be a deterrent. Today we had 17 deaths. Lives are being destroyed.”
Former Deputy Mayor Kabir Pinto Makhija said it was certainly a little too late. He said “It is sad to see nothing has been learnt from the 1st wave. It is sad to see people dying. No measures were taken to stop the spread of the virus. Till now big gatherings were allowed including political rallies. We were not asking for a Covid negative certificate from tourists visiting the state. The borders were kept open for people to enter. It is obvious now each one has to take care of himself.”
Savio Messias who has interests in the hospitality industry and was once a big player in football administration in the state was blunt when he said the situation was now out of control. He said “The time has come for the government to suspend municipal elections. I think they should postpone all the elections happening around the country. The government has to impose curbs. It has gone out of hand. I am scared of what will happen in a few days in Goa with beds not being available. There should be curbs on movement. Just compare the situation today to how it was last month. It is dreadful. Tourism is now at a standstill. Soon the time will come to convert hotels to hospitals.”
Milroy Goes Film Director was of the opinion it was still not too late. He said people had to follow the norms and it was important people don’t congregate in numbers. Everyone, he said, had to take personal responsibility.
Another who struck the bells of doom was Conrad Barretto who said nothing could be done now. He said “ Goa as a state had not handled the situation very well or for that matter nor has the country. The people at the helm don’t care about us. You can see that from the election rallies where thousands converge with any precautions. It is now up to every individual to take care of themselves. We were never prepared for the second wave because our state took it too lightly.”
One can only hope the situation is handled with alacrity because the alternate to it would make a Stephen King novel tame in comparison.
