Goa continues to be confused even as the State registered its first Omicron case. While there is panic in the air, the expert committee discussed the emerging situation and announced a slew of measures, Goa remains in party mode with over a dozen night parties lined up. To cap it all, the 3-day Sunburn festival, which draws crowds from all over, kicked off in style at Vagator.
The Expert Committee has recommended the imposition of night curfew, making RT-PCR test of all hotel occupants mandatory and also shutting schools if cases escalate. But history tells us that night curfew is ineffective and has been reduced to a farce in Goa in the past. What Goa needs right now is water-tight transmission tracking and strict enforcement of protocols.
The first case detected of an 8-year-old who travelled from the UK on December 17 shows that lessons from the past haven’t been learnt. While the state machinery failed to establish contact with the boy initially, blaming it on poor cellular network connectivity, there was no monitoring done whatsoever during the 10 days. Failure of contact tracing which is so crucial in tackling transmission has been exposed. Since the boy flew with 200 other co-passengers, there is a high risk of many others contracting the virus. Suspects cannot be reached is not an acceptable explanation in the current situation.
Fear and carelessness in an absurd mix. The State government is waiting for the expert committee to make its recommendations to the task force, and then take decisions, when it can very well move towards enforcing protocols that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had advocated on the eve of Christmas. Do we need to wait for the task force to announce heightened surveillance, use of face masks and follow protocol? Does the administration need to be told that permissions to night parties have to be reviewed? Or does everyone wait with fingers crossed till tragedy strikes?
On Sunday, tourists thronged popular tourist beaches in droves. The mammoth crowds witnessed at beaches like Calangute, Colva and many others without masks and violating social distancing showed that the government machinery is not ready to step in. It is a clear indication that the Omicron fear has not sunk in yet in Goa.
While Goa has registered its first Omicron case, Maharashtra has reported 26 cases on Monday, taking its toll to 167. The focus is on those flying from the UK which is heavily affected by the variant, but Goa cannot be oblivious of Omicron lurking in the neighbourhood. There is an immediate need to tighten protocol and surveillance at borders. We cannot repeat the horrific blunder of the second wave of being lax with checks.
Seven states have moved swiftly by imposing night curfew and restrictions to contain the infection. It may sound harsh on Goa to impose severe restrictions during peak tourism season, but these are tough choices to be made. We cannot sacrifice lives to keep our tourism alive. Economics matters, but not over precious lives. We should not allow Omicron to take us back in time.
