COVID-19 vaccination for Goan seafarers
The Government of Goa needs to urgently consider COVID-19 vaccination of all bonafide Goan seafarers irrespective of age. Shipping companies have been sending advisories to their floating staff to get themselves vaccinated uring their leave period and revert with the vaccination certificates for updating their records.
As there is a continuous surge in global coronavirus COVID-19 cases, there is an urgent need to safeguard the lives of our seafarers against this deadly virus, more so because they continue to be exposed to the grave risk of COVID-19 while travelling and while working onboard ships where medical facilities are minimal and shore medical visits are highly restricted due to COVID-19 protocols followed by various nations.
DG Shipping circular no. 37/2020 has clearly designated seafarers as key workers, and seafarers in several States have managed to take the COVID-19 vaccine on the basis of this circular and their Indian CDCs/ passports.
The vaccination centres and doctors in Goa need to be enlightened about this important DG Shipping circular and all bonafide Goan seafarers, irrespective of age, should be allowed to take the vaccine at the earliest.
Otherwise Goan seafarers will stand to lose their jobs for want of the COVID-19 vaccination certificate.
Capt. Felino D’Souza, by email
No Section 144 for tourists
I would like to comment on Michael Lobo’s statement, when he says there is no need for strict SOPs nor Covid-19 negative certificates for tourists coming. So Goa is for all and sundry except for Goans. They have to follow all the rules. They have to bear the danger for their lives when anyone descends on Goa. Are the other States not in their proper mind when they impose controls on their population and all those coming in?
Our Govt is really one with a difference, I must say because they are not at all bothered about the lives of the very people who elect them to power. They don’t realise that without people they will not be in power.
All right thinking people should realise that lives matter first. This callous attitude is putting the lives of doctors, nurses and other frontline workers in Banks and other public institutions in grave danger, along with their families. This is severe negligence. I pray that God gives wisdom to those in authority, that the lives of citizens is of paramount importance, and the rest comes after that.
Francisca Mesquita, Fatorda
Disruption of essential services
The government lacks basic inter-department coordination and maintenance of blueprint of utilities which are not updated if existing, resulting in wanton destruction of the already unsatisfactory provision of essential services. One department does not know or take care that the other department or contractor employed is warned in advance of where the underground pipelines or cables are laid.
This is nothing new and continues to happen unabated resulting in so much unnecessary damages and increased workload, loss of time, material and extra financial burden, not to mention resultant helpless public distress due sheer negligence! Last year in Curti, damage to water pipe line reportedly caused due to road widening left Tiswadi with no/irregular water supply for around 10 days! Not only is there no accountability or punishment for those responsible but it continues blatently today!
This is not only criminal but dangerous and it is high time the powerful government or the courts take suo moto notice for urgent and stringent action so this cannot happen again, if they care about justice and public interest!
John Eric Gomes, Porvorim
Women need to be alert
Two incidents of snatching of mangalsutra were reported in the State on Sunday, one at Mapusa and the other at Curti, Ponda. Such snatching of mangalsutras and chains from the women by bike-borne thieves have been taking place at a disturbing frequency in Goa even in broad daylight. There appears to be a gang of chain-snatchers operating in the state. The modus operandi in majority of the cases is that these bike-borne thieves engage the women in a dialogue while keeping the engine of the vehicle on.
Many-a-times the thieves ask the women for direction to a particular destination. The pillion rider all of a sudden snatches the chain from the woman as the rider races the bike away. In order to prevent such incidents it would be advisable for women to avoid talking to strangers riding a bike, especially if there is a pillion rider.
If an unknown rider stops the bike near a woman, the lady needs to immediately move to a safe distance from the bike so that she is at more than arms-length from the pillion rider. If the woman senses something fishy, she should immediately raise an alarm so that the thieves are apprehended by the people around. Women need to be on the alert to thieves-on-wheels in order to prevent such thefts.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Green Card for Covid?
‘260 new cases today’ , ‘6 out of 9 ICU beds occupied ‘ , ‘Dangerous mutant strains of Covid detected’, ‘Mortality rates shoot up’ , these are headlines which we read almost on a daily basis in newspapers but I fail to fathom why people are still hell bent on contracting the virus. No masks, no distancing, no use of sanitiser, free for all at public places etc.
Worsening matters is the fact that people are hesitant or just plain foolish in not getting themselves vaccinated even when no prior registration is now required on the CoWin portal. Only @7.5 crore vaccine doses have been administered in India as against 30 to 35 crores average in less populated countries.
The deadly second wave is upon us people and it is our national duty to get inoculated unless we want to grant the virus permanent ‘green card’ residency status in the country. The government should also facilitate door to door vaccination as was done for eradicating polio, this could be a potential game changer, also government employees especially at public dealing offices should be compulsory vaccinated.
It is learnt that @ 13% of vaccine doses are wasted on account of various factors, in light of this the Centre should open up the vax drive for everyone irrespective of age, this way a majority of the population can be covered in double quick time, the clock is ticking.
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
Be cautious
This has reference to the Editorial ‘COVID cases are shooting up; time to take more precautions’ (Herald, April 5).
There is no doubt Covid cases are on the rise in the country, especially in Maharashtra. You have rightly mentioned, it’s time to take more precautions. But I think we are missing the point. Precautions are perhaps the only way we could have avoided this new situation. The government & civic authorities in Maharashtra have been appealing to the public to take atleast the basic precautions like wearing masks at public places & sanitisation. Thousands of people have been caught & fined for not adhering to basic Covid norms. So, can we then blame the authorities for another lockdown-like situation?
The Editorial rightly states, the situation is serious and it needs to be dealt with utmost urgency. And yes, it’s time that common people stay responsible not only for themselves but for others too who are not adhering to the protocols set by the government. So, the message is clear, ‘mask up or be prepared for the consequences’. The government must also now step up the vaccination process especially in cities like Mumbai.
Melville X. D’Souza, Mumbai
