With the Covid positivity rate in Goa at an all time high of 51% and the number of daily positive cases crossing 3000, we ought to have been in the midst of a 15-day lockdown by now, instead of the frivolous 3-4 day lockdown.
We would not have been in such a sorry predicament had the Goa govt acted promptly and heeded the early warnings of the impending second wave, when Covid cases in Goa started to be on the upswing, a month back.
Unfortunately, what mattered more was the State’s dwindling economy which opened the floodgates of tourism, unchecked borders and gay abandon on our beaches, with Covid protocol thrown to the winds, even as Casinos and night clubs continued to flourish and draw large crowds.
And with restaurants allowed to remain open with 50% capacity and our municipal and fish markets exempted from the present lockdown, can we ever hope to break the virus transmission chain? Or, are we still waiting for the numbers to rise before tightening the screws?
