Health is the only wealth
For quite a significant percentage of the population beating Covid doesn’t quite signal the end of the story; across the country many people have been reinfected and also had heart attacks, strokes, pulmonary embolism, lung fibrosis, diabetes and other such ailments. Most patients are administered steroids during treatment which leads to spikes in blood sugar levels and compromised immunity; in the post Covid recovery period special care needs to be taken as regards diet.
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A balanced healthy meal with nuts, vegetables, legumes, oily fish and home set yogurt along with intake of copious amounts of water is highly recommended by medical practitioners; it is equally important to avoid carbonated drinks, alcohol, sweets and high starch content food. Intense physical activity should be put on the backburner for at least a couple of months to speed up the return to normalcy.
Habitable spaces should be well ventilated and the use of air conditioning must be avoided, especially if there are more than two persons sharing a room. It should be understood that in these trying times mental health is as important as physical health and recovering patients need to keep tension and anxiety at bay by listening to soothing music, meditating, taking up a hobby or gentle nature walks.
The ongoing pandemic has reinforced the adage that health is the only true wealth that we possess and we should do all in our power (and sometimes under medical advice) to regain our healthy and happy past; we owe this to ourselves and to our near and dear ones.
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
Need to restart schools’ offline classes
Restarting schools, colleges with the students coming on campus is imperative. It has been a year and half since the pandemic struck India. Since then the authorities have searched in the dark. It is disheartening to learn that the authorities yet do not classify ‘schools/colleges’ under ‘essential’ tag. One could understand this when the pandemic was nascent, but the strategy should have been to vaccinate everyone and bring the life back to normal. But the Covid-19 response by the authorities was despondent.
India is a huge country, some of the largest States are bigger than several countries in other parts of the world. But this fact is not new, it has been a part of us since long. But the authorities neglected priorities: healthcare and education, as always. The weakness of the former resulted in widespread infection and deaths. The weakness of the latter will be manifested in the long-term as the children grow up and mature. The most vulnerable are the young ones who have lost the formative years and are reliant on parents/guardians at home. This pandemic has been bane for the poor parents who sent their children to school to get nutritional food at mid-day meals. The teachers at school edify to instil discipline, to be inquisitive, identify one’s forte as well as give them emotional management.
The current scenario has pushed technology to be the prime driver of educating youngsters which in turn has benefited only the privileged who can afford a smartphone and a data-pack. To bridge this divide, the goal of the administrators, other than health, should have been to devise ways to start schools/colleges with offline classes.
Raghav Gadgil, Khandola
Has the monsoon set in Goa already?
IMD says monsoon has set in Goa and further up to Odisha on June 5. It had set in Kerala on June 3, and within two days passed Goa? Normally, it takes at least 6 days to reach Goa, with favourable winds: this must be the fastest moving monsoon in the century. The IMD has failed to make any reference to this speed – which is paramount for the IMD – and is perhaps counting on the ‘merging’ of the pre-monsoon showers with the actual monsoon?
Let’s hope it is not the ‘diluting’ of contemporary science as is going on in the ‘allopathic’ sphere. Having said that, in all these years, the ‘farmers’ predictions proved more correct than the IMD’s, whose predictions have always been: ‘after the fact’. Here too, there is suspicion that the declaration of monsoon onset was ‘prompted’ due to the rains in the last week. We know that in such matters there is always the benefit of the doubt. One recalls a joke in the US: a tourist asked a Red Indian whether it would rain. The latter looked up to the clouds and confirmed rain in an hour’s time. It did rain and the amazed tourist asked how he could tell. Pat came the reply: the radio weather forecast.
R Fernandes, Margao
Magisterial action badly needed in Goa
In its bid to strictly implement Covid-19 rules, the Goa government must impose “super” fine people for not wearing face masks anywhere in Goa. Special drives through flying squads must be brought in to service against those who are flouting the guidelines of “social distancing” at crowded places even after ending curfew in the State or while exiting curfew. Because 80% people will never improve in their lives. And therefore, magisterial action is badly needed. This is earnest suggestion to government.
The amount coming out of fine is not important rather than the lives of the people. In order to follow the guidelines strictly ,Goa government needs to take serious steps to eradicate the covid-19. Every person must undergo testing at Goa borders for nearly one year.
The police also should make announcements at busy markets and other places to appeal to all citizens to follow proper guidelines, maintain social distancing, wear proper masks and avoid crowded places. They must warn that those found violating Covid-19 guidelines in the district will be strictly dealt with as per the law. And police should act against the people who are responsible for the crowding such places. Finally, government’s order is very important. Implementation of magisterial action has to enforced.
Goan police are doing well, and no doubt about that. Maintaining social distance and wearing mask are the vital factors to eradicate the covid-19. Some people are taking granted about these factors and therefore Corona is likely to spread at any time in the State.
Only maintaining social distancing, and wearing masks can curb Corona Virus henceforth. Washing hands, sanitisation and cleanliness, are the individual duties.
Rajesh Banaulikar, Arpora
Lockdown has hit traders
The Covid-19 disease has become a nightmare for small-time traders, industries, labourers, farmers, in India. Traders should wait until lockdown is lifted. Concern should be that traders should remain alive. Otherwise how can traders trade?
Farmers raising vegetable and fruits and merchants dealing with them, wholesale as well as retail, have been hit hard. The shops and markets are closed and there is no inflow of money whereas the outflow of money continues in terms of meeting family and establishment expenses like salary of the employees, electricity bills, water bills, property tax, payment of EMIs, interest on loans etc.
The decision of lockdown is logical and extremely important step desired under the present circumstances due to the grave threat of Covid-19 across the country. The government should give financial assistance to the traders’ community and others which has been hit by Covid-19 induced lockdown. The traders are the tax collectors for the government. Majority of liquor consumers in Goa are tourists and only 30 per cent of the supplies are for locals. Thus the liquor trade may not gain momentum, as tourism may not resume any time soon.
K G Vilop, Chorao
