Just at a time when the mismanagement of the second wave isstaring right at the face of the State government, Chief Minister Pramod Sawanthas set up a 15-member task force headed by himself to prepare for the thirdwave. Thanks to the petitioners and the High Court for literally forcing thispreparedness on an otherwise lax system that continues to move at a sluggishpace during the lethal second phase. If we may recall, the court has held thegovernment accountable and asked it to spell out the preparedness for theimpending third wave, one which is believed to be more brutal than the second.
In these grim situations, the State government continues toargue that it is guided by central policies and expresses helplessness intaking independent decisions for the welfare of Goa. However, when it comes toimplementing protocols, we have seen how Sawant has deviated from the courseand changed priorities. Lest we forget, it was Modi who had asked States duringthe onset of the pandemic to document strategies of the first phase so thatgovernments are better prepared to handle subsequent phases of the virus.Surprisingly, Goa has tried just the opposite of what it did during the firstwave.
In Goa, the reverse has happened. The stringent norms duringthe first wave that brought Goa to the doorstep of safety have been forgottenand the government continued to flirt with danger by easing restrictions.Sawant announced an extension of curfew till May 31 but has not factored in theneed to tighten protocol further. On the contrary, there is more stress onlivelihoods than lives. The stringent restrictions which were supposed to beharsher than a lockdown have been watered down in the name of economics andwelfare of the common man. It sounds absurd that the State is preparing for thethird wave with vulnerabilities of the existing attack not tackled.
So, where does the buck stop? Can the State government blameit on the Central policies for the hurdles currently faced? Or has Sawantfailed to argue Goa’s case before the Centre? The recent controversy overvaccinations for the 18+ category taken by non-Goans is a classic example. TheCentral policy may not allow State-wise discrimination for individuals takingdoses, but the allocation of a miserly quota of 32,000 doses for a State withapproximately 6.5 lakh people in that 18+ group will deny many Goans of theseshots. The least the State government could do is to make a case for more dosesagainst the background that a large section of non-Goans is making it avaccination destination.
The plan to set up a 60-bedded paediatric ICU at GMC is awelcome decision, so is the move to set up a 20-bedded ward for patientssuffering from mucormycosis. While the task force brainstorms on the thirdwave, we only hope that it will start with the failures of the currentsituation and move on from there.
