The mortality rate of the new omicron variant may be low, but it spreads fast and Goa has seen the speed it can spread with in the past few days as cases have abruptly risen and so too has the test positivity rate. In that sense it has not been the best of beginnings for a New Year, but hope certainly remains strong that the pandemic will ebb and normalcy will return. After having survived 2020 and 2021, surely the challenges that 2022 will throw up will be easier to rise up to and meet.
But, Goa has not started 2022 on a bright note. As the sun had dawned on 2021 the Covid-19 graph had been showing a flattening as cases had been on the decline. It is not the same in 2022 and cases are, on the contrary, increasing rapidly. A week ago, this rise had not been thought possible. The pandemic has made it a habit of springing surprises and there is little that can be done about this, except remaining prepared for what it throws up. Is Goa prepared with its health services infrastructure? If it isn’t, it has to act now before we have a repeat of the situation during the second wave.
In 2022, one other major challenge will come not from the Covid-19 virus, but through the ballot box or rather through the electronic voting machine. This is going to be a crucial year for Goa, as pandemic or not, the State will be voting for a new government that will direct the fortunes of the land and its people for the next five years. At the current point of time and the pandemic situation, there is no change in plan or any decision about postponing the elections that are due before March 15. The polling date could be sometime next month and the announcement from the Election Commission of India is awaited, by the political parties as well as the people. Political activity that began months ago has picked up pace and will reach a crescendo in the coming months.
In the midst of battling the Coronavirus, Goans will have to go out to the polling booth and vote. An election campaign, the voting, the counting of votes and the formation is never an easy period. It is one of the most exigent of times, demanding the most out of the administration, the political parties and the people. This year, there is the added unknown quantity of the pandemic and how it will play up during that period that has to be simultaneously dealt with. But, these elections could also be the turning point for Goa and pandemic or not, the elections will happen and a new government will be formed.
The year will unfold in the manner that the people want it to, by how they comport and how they vote. The government has announced just a very few restrictions to curb the spread of the virus. Unless these are followed and people themselves take precautions, the pandemic will not abate. Similarly, the future of Goa will be determined by the manner in which the people vote in the upcoming election. It may be easy to later say that the year was bad, but whatever occurs during the year will be determined by the actions of the people and the government. So 2022 brings opportunities for change and challenges to be met. It is the response that will determine just how it turns out.
