Pandemic puts Goa in crisis
Goa finds itself enveloped in deep crisis with the current pandemic spreading relentlessly, creating a sense of panic in one and all.
Despite all this, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant refused to heed the advice of experts that preventive measures needed to be taken to control and prevent further spread of the virus.
No doubt, the economy needs to be protected but it can’t be at the cost of the lives and health of the citizens, the peril of which is all too evident today.
Any government would have acted far more responsibly in a crisis like the current one.
To arrest the spread of the virus it was incumbent on the government to act firmly against the casinos and night clubs which undisputedly have been super spreaders of COVID-19.
In the midst of this deepening crisis, today we also have so many people agitating on various issues, including the students unfortunately forced to come out on the streets. All this needed to be avoided especially in this raging pandemic with the government heeding their grievances and being responsive to the wishes and aspirations of the people. Every issue can be resolved if the approach is right and pro-active. The people’s voices need to be heeded and problems promptly handled without it being allowed to escalate. A good government needs to feel the pulse of its people.
We are dealing with a vicious unknown virus which requires bold, well thought yet prompt measures to deal with the situation which is by the day drifting to an alarming level. Those in power and authority must rise to the occasion and solely focus on the welfare and well being of the citizens especially the poor and vulnerable who have been caught in a helpless and hapless situation.
Let us keep in our thoughts and gratitude, the yeoman services being rendered by all the doctors, nurses and the support staff who have been toiling tirelessly to try and save precious lives. To every frontline worker we remain ever so indebted.
Aires Rodrigues, Ribandar
No planning, no discipline
From day one, the whole world knew that Covid-19 unleashed a war on mankind! It is still a war and civilians, be they IAS Officers, health workers or elected BJP, none of them knows how to win a war!
There is neither discipline nor forward planning nor quick execution. Just listening to traders!
The result: rising cases, rising deaths, and sadly, shortage of medical oxygen! Doctors in Gujarat say they are in a triage like situation, where they have to pick which patients to give oxygen, when all need the same, but only some can get it! India is now importing 50000MT of Oxygen.
Media reports said India is floating tenders to procure 162 Oxygen Generators, but actually the same was floated 8 months back: and people are dying because not a single one has been installed!
Today, we now know that Goa is short of Oxygen. Luckily, Kerala is moving 20K litres of Oxygen to Goa. The Health Minister says they are installing, Oxynitro Plants? What are these? They are not oxygen Generators. They seem to be only new cylinders: do we have capacity to fill the same? And where are the non-BJP parties? Silent? Delhi is facing a similar situation: why did not AAP sound the first warning?
In the meantime Indians are ‘celebrating’ Vivo IPL! Why cannot they procure Oxygen Generators from China?
Who is to blame if not the voters that elected this Govt? Manmohan Singh has provided 5 key points to fight Covid: now we know what the difference between Congress and BJP is!
R Fernandes, Margao
Show must still go on?
The recent surge in COVID-19 cases is frightening. The daily health bulletin displays alarming figures of COVID cases, mortality and positivity rate. The Government’s strategy of controlling COVID-19 cases is akin to mobilising all resources towards mops and buckets rather than fixing the leaking tap.
Crowd outside casinos where a majority of tourists are without masks and no social distancing makes one wonder whether the pandemic is over only in Goa. Goa is the only State in the country where the show must go on without any restrictions for incoming visitors and the State is paying a heavy price for choosing tourism over lives of Goans. No doubt economy of the State is important but the lives of Goans are precious.
The mortality rate is spiralling upwards with the highest 17 deaths in a day. The economy can always be boosted back with various measures once the situation improves but a life lost cannot be brought back.
It is my earnest appeal to the Government to enforce strict restrictions and formulate Standard Operating Procedures which will help bring down the daily COVID figures and more importantly save the lives of fellow Goans.
Sheldon Rodrigues, Navelim
Can it get any worse?
On the day when Goa reportedly suffered a massive Covid blow, with record 17 COVID deaths, and almost a thousand new positive cases reported, when none other than the health minister of the State has admitted that the Covid situation in the State is scary, on the day when Maharashtra has placed Goa on the list of sensitive places of Covid origin, reportedly comes a ray of hope from none other than the president of the State’s governing party advising the administration to make Covid-19 negative certification mandatory for travellers entering the State either by air, road or rail.
This vital suggestion has not come a day too early. As reported, as Covid-19 wreaks havoc in our State, the authorities are scrambling to expand health infrastructure, requisitioning more public and private hospitals for Covid patients, rushing to hire health manpower, and banning the transfer of oxygen to other States, etc so as to save lives. If only he had spoken up earlier, he could have prevented the State from sliding downhill from good control to disastrous loss of control of the spread of the deadly virus.
Already more than 12 or more States have made Covid negative certificate mandatory for travel, and imposed various levels of control on activities including night curfew, and weekend lockdowns and so on. The reluctance to lockdown is understandable. It hurts the weaker sections. But measures for the control of the virus do not have to be an all-or-none phenomenon.
No doubt, total lockdown imposes lot of hardship, on the weaker sections, but certainly measures like insisting on Covid negative certification, night curfew from 8 pm to 5 am and weekend lockdowns will go a long way in slowing mindless non purposeful activity like partying, and break the chain of Covid transmission.
Rosario Menezes, Vasco
Use new Cansaulim HC for vaccination
Corona vaccination is done at Cansaulim Health Centre. However, the new Health Centre being under construction for number of years now, it was temporarily shifted to an old house in Arossim. This place conducts only OPD and that too in a veranda since the house is in a dilapidated condition and risky safety-wise. Hence the emergency ward is shifted at Cansaulim on a roadside small house, where only emergency cases are attended to. It is here that the vaccination for Corona is carried out. Being short of space, the public has to stand in the open under the open sky in the hot sun, thereby having the risk of sun stroke.
Now the question is why the vaccination cannot be carried out in the new building of Cansaulim Health Centre which seems to be almost ready except for some equipment, etc. The vaccination is a simple process which can be easily carried out on the ground floor thus ensuring the safety of the public.
I hope the heath minister visits the New Health Centre and takes appropriate action at the earliest.
Antonio F Fernandes, Arossim
