Goa gearing up to fight Covid-19 with a proactive approach in spreading awareness is a positive sign. Announcing the availability of sanitizers and antibiotics is reassuring. Shutting off biometric attendance in some government departments is a welcome sign. However, Goa is yet to plug crucial gaps in its plan to keep Coronavirus away. While all the focus has been on quarantining passengers flying by air from virus-affected international destinations like Italy, Goa has no systems in place to keep a check on its road and railway travellers where the bulk of movement happens.
It is not only the international flyers but people coming in from States like Kerala, Karnataka and even metro cities like Pune where Coronavirus cases are detected. The count in India has crossed the 50 mark, and with the passage of time, it is expected to increase steadily. Given this, Goa has to be also wary of people travelling from affected States.
The fight against Coronavirus is going to be more challenging ahead with major festivals and sporting events lined up. Shigmo is a major cultural festival of Goa drawing thousands of people from across the State. Similarly, the ISL final is slated to be held at Nehru Stadium, Fatorda on Saturday. Fans from Kolkata and Chennai are expected to descend in droves to cheer their teams, and football aficionados from Goa will be part and parcel of the sporting finale. Later this month, the India Premier cricket league will witness packed stadiums
across India.
Interestingly, the Goa Football Association has released an advisory to players/clubs on matches held in Goa somewhat on the lines of the English Premier League. It has asked players to refrain from handshakes and celebrations after a goal. Football players are known to become ecstatic on the field, sometimes rupture into wild celebrations after goals are scored. Football being a contact sport one wonders how this part of the advisory will play out. A major awareness campaign has been undertaken across schools and colleges in Goa. And this is an area which the State cannot afford to lose focus. One virus-infected student can trigger panic across the entire class and even beyond. While there is a list of dos and don’ts put up in some schools, it’s a pity that shortage of water supply remains a major impediment for sanitization and hygiene.
Wednesday’s incident of a Vasco native asking to be quarantined after reaching Goa because he travelled to Finland and Italy must be commended. Another female Goan passenger travelling from Dubai is also being treated after she reported coughing since Tuesday. Disclosures like these are crucial to arrest the spread of the virus. However, the story doesn’t end there. The challenge is to track other passengers who could have been in contact with the victim before they alighted the flight at Dabolim. Authorities face an uphill task of tracking travellers, especially those who have flown in from virus-hit countries. It’s only going to get tougher from here.
