CANACONA
Concerned about a rise in Covid cases in Canacona, Dy Speaker and Canacona MLA Isidore Fernandes convened an urgent meeting with the taluka administration, health officials and police and directed them to strictly enforce the SOPs to tackle the spread of Covid in the taluka.
As part of these measures, authorities have decided to begin a vaccination drive in villages in a bid to get more people within the approved age groups to receive the vaccine.
Acting on directives of Fernandes, Canacona Deputy Collector Uday Prabhudesai directed Canacona police to strictly implement the Covid SOPs and to take action against those violating the SOPs, by even fining those not adhering to social distancing and not wearing face masks in public spaces.
Authorities agreed that a lockdown is not the solution to curb the spread of Covid, but there is still a need for awareness on Dos and Don’t to prevent the spread of the disease.
Fernandes said he was concerned that many people in the approved age groups had not availed of the Covid vaccination at the CHC and he asked the health officials to begin vaccination drives in different villages.
Accordingly, authorities quickly asked health officials to hold open vaccination centres in all villages, to be open to those who are 45 years and above.
The first such vaccination drive will be conducted for people of Loliem-Polem at the Loliem-Polem panchayat hall from 9 am to 5 pm on Saturday.
On Sunday, the vaccination drive will be conducted for people of Poinguinim at the Shri Shradanand Vidyalaya Primary School from 9 am to 5 pm.
“Though there will be no power supply on Sunday till 2 pm, the vaccination drive will be conducted using a power generator. People should not miss this opportunity to avail of the vaccination in the village itself. The vaccination drive will be conducted in other villages soon,” Fernandes said.
Reporters then pointed out that if details of Covid hotspots in the taluka are made available to the media, other people in the affected areas could be alerted.
Canacona Mamlatdar Vimod Dalal then assured to provide Covid details on a daily basis.
Canacona CMC Medical Officer Dr Amey Aiya sought an additional ambulance with a driver, in addition to the three available ambulances to make the village level vaccination drive successful.
Canacona Municipal Council Chairperson Simon Rebello appealed to people not to take Covid lightly, but to take all precautionary measures like wearing of masks, social distancing use of sanitisers.
Others present at the meeting included Canacona PI Tulsidas Naik, BDO Dattaprasad, Dr Diwakarji Velip, Loliem-Polem Sarpanch Sachin Naik, Gaondongrim Sarpanch Suman Gaonkar, panchas Vidya Gayak, Ganesh Gaonkar, Pramod Phaldessai Dhillon Naik, representing different Panchayats and CMC councillor Ramakant Naikgaunkar.
