PANJIM: Daily record highs of COVID-19 cases have been worrying citizens, sending a large number of people indoors for fear of getting infected. While the authorities blame the lackadaisical attitude of citizens, there’s another side to it wherein medical experts reason that had the government tightened visitors’ entry and imposed restrictions internally as well, at a time when cases were rising in other parts of the country, Goa might have been better placed today.
Medical experts handling the flood of COVID-19 cases that Herald spoke to pointed out to three major reasons – lavish wedding and related ceremonies, spanning 3 to 5 days attended by local, Indian and international guests and lowering of guard by people who has been superspreader events; and unregulated entry of tourists.
Here’s what doctors say, pointing out that a guest who had flown in from USA died of COVID-19 and was detected with a mutant variant. “There were two major events – a wedding in North Goa and an engagement ceremony which was not less than a marriage ceremony in South Goa. Both events were held around the same period in February. A massive number of invitees from Goa, parts of India and abroad had attended these ceremonies. One of them was a Goan settled in the USA. She had flown to Goa to exclusively attend the engagement but died of COVID-19. People who are related to her family across Goa contracted the virus. These were crystal clear cases of rising cases, after the wave had subsided,” said a medical practitioner.
These cases pushed the active cases in Panjim, Porvorim and Margao to an unimaginable figure while simultaneously more cases began to be reported due to other causes. “The guests at these functions were five to six times more than the permissible limit and neither COVID-19 appropriate norms were followed,” the doctor alleged.
Prior to February-end, which is when Goa began to report a heavy rise in cases, the State had hosted New Year parties, Carnaval and a few public gatherings but the situation didn’t change for the worse as it has now.
Amid rising COVID-19 cases across the country, a Central government panel had recently
concluded that superspreader events like weddings, and lowering of guard by people in following COVID-19 guidelines, were responsible for the surge in COVID-19 cases in India.
While permitting such events was one reason, overcrowding of the State for tourism and night parties along the beach belt are also probable reasons for the spread of COVID-19 cases. The active cases in the Candolim Primary Health Centre are indication of this. As of Sunday, Candolim PHC had 1208 active cases, the second highest after Margao Urban Health Centre reporting 1236 active cases while Porvorim PHC reported 1157.
Besides, Goa Medical College and Hospital’s survey indicating Baga, Calangute and Anjuna as emerging hotspots rests the case.
A doctor explained that the invasion of mutant virus in Goa is also due to travellers. “Local shopkeepers who do not travel out of Goa suffer from mutants. So, how do they suffer from a mutant that has been detected and proven? It is clear that invasion of mutant strains is by uncontrolled tourism. Goa recorded an immense number of tourists even during the time when other parts of India began to report a surge in COVID-19 cases,” he said.
While the government has not stopped tourism activities, citing that other States have imposed restrictions, laxity on the part of citizens is also a highly likely cause. Lack of appropriate behavior among the people is also a factor contributing to rising cases.
