There is a general consensus that the three-day lockdown has achieved nothing by way of flattening the curve or reducing the spread. Perhaps we will never know just what was gained by staying indoors for three days. As admitted by the Nodal officer for COVID-19 at the Directorate of Health Services, there ‘will be some effect which will not show in the numbers’. As there is no means of quantifying the result of the lockdown, we can but hope that there has been a pause in the contagion of the novel coronavirus.
It does not end, however, as though Goa oepned, a new debate was initiated across the State, as Mormugao taluka remained locked down for another few days. This new discussion was of whether the restrictions now imposed on this taluka at this stage of the virus spread, and which will continue only till July 24, is too little too late. There appears to be an agreement that this lockdown of Mormugao taluka could have been avoided had just Vasco town been placed under a lockdown weeks ago, at the time that the virus had just begun spreading in the area.
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Just last week Herald had reported how the post town’s traumatised residents were seething as the number of cases and deaths in their town kept increasing. The infection first surfaced in Mangor Hill and then moved to New Vaddem, Chicalim, Zuarinagar, and beyond to Verna and other parts of Goa. The big question that has been asked constantly is whether locking down Vasco would have helped contain the spread. Even the Governor brought this up, terming not locking the town down a judgemental error. Local MLA Carlos Almeida and MLA of the neighbouring constituency Mauvin Godinho had sought that Vasco be locked down. The chairperson of the Mormugao Municipal Council tested positive for COVID, a Councillor succumbed to COVID, yet the government hesitated to lock down the town. It is only now, after the three-day lockdown in the State that restrictions have been imposed in Mormugao.
It is begnining to appear that the three-day State lockdown was an attempt to save face before keeping Mormugao isolated. Had the lockdown for Mormugao been announced independently, it would have raised several questions on the government’s belated attempt to stem the spread. While those in the government may say this decision is ‘better late than never’, there is the distinct feeling that this is ‘too little too late’. Is this an admission by the government that it should have done this earlier? But , can an eight-day lockdown in Mormugao achieve the desired result of containing the spread of the virus? Other States have had extended lockdowns till the end of the month, which are announced in advance. That helps the people prepare better for the time they will be at home, announcing a short lockdown and then extending it does not give people time to prepare.
The initial hesitancy that led to no lockdown of Vasco is being attributed to business interests that would have been affected by restrictions. The spread of the virus was reflected in the daily media bulletin of the Diectorate of Health Services that gave exact numbers of where new positive cases were being detected, and the Vasco area or those connected to it were always high. There is no doubt that restirctions would have helped reduce the number of positive COVID cases. It would at the very least have reduced the localised infections. Now, as it turns more difficult to bring the spread under control, the time taken to reduce the contagion will be longer.
