PANAJI: Even as the New Year's parties are over and many tourists leave Goa, the state’s residents are set to bear the brunt of the mayhem this month. Health minister Vishwajit Rane warned that there’s a possibility that Goa may witness a spike in Covid-19 cases in January.
Rane had made a similar prediction ahead of September’s first wave, in which hospitals were packed and those who required urgent care couldn’t receive it. September saw 16,000 new cases and 235 deaths, an average of over seven a day.
This time, Rane said the “cross-mixing of tourists and locals” may result in the second wave.
“Look at the people visiting the beaches, they are not wearing masks. At airports, around 60% of people do not wear masks. We will end up with a spike yet again. Tourists visiting the state must act responsibly,” he said, warning them that “Goa is not a banana republic”.
The state witnessed a surge in tourist arrivals in the Christmas-New Year week, and all protocols and norms were thrown to the wind as revellers preferred to ignore the
pandemic and party in packed clubs and beaches, endangering the lives of residents.
TOI has repeatedly raised locals’ concerns over the lack of norms and enforcement, with two front-page reports exposing the government's negligence in protecting the lives of residents by refusing to enforce Covid-related SOPs and protocols.
On Thursday, a day after the Centre issued an advisory to states to impose restrictions after assessing conditions, Rane had suggested to chief minister Pramod Sawant that Goa should impose a night curfew along the lines of Delhi and Karnataka.
However, the CM shot down the suggestion. Neither did he vow to enforce government and public health norms, thus tacitly encouraging potential super-spreader events. On Saturday, Rane said, “It’s better to be cautious in the beginning than to regret later about steps we did not take.”
The health minister said he speaks to the CM several times a day. “I wake him up in the morning and put him to sleep,” he said in a lighter vein.
Rane’s attempts to control the late-December mayhem was also met with displeasure by the tourism industry, who said these suggestions should have been made in advance and not at the eleventh hour. Industry stakeholders claimed they were “very much in favour” of the government implementing SOPs and initiating action against those who defy them.
Rane said the state’s expert committee has decided to move a file to the government to act against hotels and nightclubs that don’t ensure that SOPs are followed by guests.
“We want businesses to continue, but SOPs have to be followed,” Rane said. “It is not the question of doing business alone, but the safety of the people of Goa is also important. Hotels and nightclubs conducting events should ensure that their guests wear masks and maintain social distancing. If you can’t ensure these, then don’t hold events.”
Rane also criticised the prevalent trend of wearing masks improperly, whether on the chin, below the nose, or mouth. “Why do you want to put the lives of doctors and other staff at risk, who have been tirelessly working day and night for the past so many months?” he asked. "If people do not follow masks and social distancing, there will be a spike, and the spike will be uncontrollable."