Goa during the current large scale”leave” availing period becomes a crowded and unmanageable tourist destination . It also grabs the headlines for its film festival,exotic drinks, pristine beaches,sea sports and many events involving fun and frolic . Now that the film festival having been concluded in a subdued manner ,Covid or Omicron news is spreading rapidly with positivity percentage in Goa ranging between 10 and 24.43% as opposed to over 6 % and over 81% new cases in Delhi being linked to Omicorn variant.
Outnumbering by Tourists Is Fresh Cause of Worry
2) Most of the popular tourist spots ,such as, Shimla,Mussorie,Nainital, Manali,Darjeeling and Gangtok too have crossed their Carrying Capacity even during the worst of inclement weather.Indulging into rafting ,skiing , or adventure tourism and sighting of snow is always mesmerising to the eyes.It is something one does not see or experience on a day today basis.
Fresh Spike Must Be Controlled
3) Accross the country, total number of Corona cases in 24 hours has sky rocketed to 36,669 with 124 casualties.Maximum spike ,as in the past ,is being reported from Maharastra and Delhi.However, the number of adults with two doses of vaccination has reached the figure of 610,610,367 while the single dose figure is 235,668,572. Both Need to be speeded up. Also equal attention will have to be given to preventing loss of vaccine doses.
Mumbai to Goa,Cordelia Cruise
4) Back to Goa, in October 2021, we had Cruise ship of Cordelia of Aryan Khan ‘ fame’, drawing attention concerning busting of a high profile party having drugs and possible international links. From the evening of the 1st January, 2022, another Cruise by the same ship is grabbing the headlines.
2017 numbers of rich & famous are reported to have begun their New Year Bash around 5 pm. The Luxury Cruise was due to touch the shore of Mormugao Port of Goa,next morning.lt did reach but suspense was destined to prevail . As bad luck would have been,one Crew member was reported Covid or Omicron positive,which compelled the port authorities to deny permission to the Cruise.
5) Perhaps casual or delayed response by the State health department on 2nd January led to RTCPR tests on board being conducted for rather long hours.One by one , sixty six passengers were declared positive, giving tension and anxiety to the remaining 1950 negative holiday makers.
Delay Resulting Into Panic
6) With further action and relief getting delayed, panic rightly began gathering momentum. In view of final denial of permission to de board , the ship had no option but to revert to Mumbai. As per earlier plan , willing passengers were to get down and proceed on their own for their respective destinations.
7) The ship ,at last is reported to have departed for Mumbai around 11 pm on 2nd January and was due to dock at Mumbai harbour in the morning of 4th January.
Future Course of Action
8) What could be in store due to forced mixing of positive and negative cases ?
One can very well imagine the adverse repercussions on others ,once all of 2017 passengers get Freedom from their self invited ordeal in a situation when confirmed cases of Mumbai have touched the mark 10,860 (34% higher than 3rd January) in a spell of 24 hours and the number is bound to rise further if the rates are to be correctly reported and closely assessed. It is happening at a time when 178 doctors have tested positive in Patna,70 in Kolkata,100 in Patiala and 30 odd in Lucknow apart from many famous technical institutes.
Who Should Be Liable ?
9) Is a State Government liable or the new year revellers are to be squarely blamed for the tense, going to be, Titanic kind of Tragedy ?
Questions,nevertheless, that arise at this stage, are:
a) Will Government of Maharastra permit the passengers to dis embark ?
b)How to prevent Continued mixing of positive and negative cases ?
c) On the part of authorities ,why was Cruise allowed in the first place during such a precarious time ?
10) Not so rapid rise in number of hospitalizations,demand for oxygen cylinders,ventilators and ICU beds does not mean that normal life in urban areas or day to day work in the Govt.or private offices is NOT getting disturbed.
Children,teenagers and those above 15 years of age are already having been confused and tough times owing to frequent closure, re-opening and yet again closure of schooĺs. Already due to bad precedence of being assured of getting promotions beyond Class Ninth standard without mandatory examinations may finish off the spirit of healthy competition. Medical and all technical courses are going to have the biggest casualties,as such.
Need of The Hour
11) Let us wake up Again and extend immediate help in our own Individual Way to ensure strict adherence to Corona and Omicron protocols.
There Can Not be any Other Alternative left before us.
Are we ready to sacrifice our unwanted desires at this time when rightly or wrongly Third wave has not only arrived but spreading its tentacles swifly more in terms of transmissibility if not in terms of hospitalizations or for that matter, deaths ?
12) THIRD LOCKDOWN CAN NOT BE THE SOLUTION, POSTPONEMENT OF FORTHCOMING ELECTIONS MAY MAKE ALL THE MARKED DIFFERENCE. MANY STALWARTS ARE ALREADY DOWN. WHO KNOWS, MORE MAY HAVE TO ISOLATE THEMSELVES FOR LONG PERIODS ?
Om Shanti.
About the Author : Dr. Aaloc Srivastav, Ex CS , Sikkim is a Senior Retd Bureaucrat and passionate about writing on his favourite subjects . The views shared by the author are his personal.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.