Team Herald
Panjim: While stating that strict SOPs will be in place during the Sunburn event starts, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on Friday refused to take responsibility in case of spike in COVID festival.
“I have not given the permission, why should I take the responsibility?” he asked while pointing out that these are not the decisions taken by the ‘Health Minister’.
However, he indirectly justified the decision to grant in principal approval for the Sunburn event saying ‘we have to move on’.
“We have seen how people have suffered during lockdown, people have lost jobs and we have witnessed it ourselves,” Rane said.
He added that he has spoken to the Chief Minister on the issue of granting permission to casinos and Sunburn and that the CM had also agreed with some points.
It is to be noted that Rane was addressing the media on Friday morning, much before Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar announced that the in-principle grant in permission to Sunburn had been cancelled.
“We have seen how norms have been flouted in the clubs, and I feel the proprietor and the people must also be held responsible for flouting rules,” he stated.
He added that the events can be allowed with stringent SOPs.
“We never know when there will be spike. The countries like France, UK are going for second lockdown or be it our national capital in Delhi wherein the cases are rising again,” he said adding “it is for each one of us to take precautions”.
He agreed that the people have started taking things for granted even as doctors strive to save lives.
“The health department is now monitoring patients for all 17 days and the digital dashboard has been a life saver. In last few days, we have shifted 50 patients to hospitals before they get breathless,” he stated.
Spekaing about the issue of school resumption, Rane added that the CM will ask for stringent SOPs here as well.
“Only 10th and 12th schools will start and these are grown-up children and who understand what COVID,” he added.
The Health Minister further added that they are trying to restart the non-COVID departments in the Goa Medical College (GMC).
“We do not want the other patients to continue suffering,” he said.
Rane also said that the third year MBBS students would now be roped in for help in COVID services.
