Well, after a lot of discussion, deliberations, criticism, denials the Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant has finally announced a 15-day day curfew following the surge in COVID19 cases and subsequent deaths.
To start with the curfew, which is not Total Lockdown as per CM himself, is not voluntary from Sawant but was under the pressure of public, ministers and MLAs.
Nonetheless, the Chief Minister announced the curfew, which he said would be stricter than the total lockdown. Anybody who move around without any reason would be dealt with severely. Though the detailed order is yet to come out, the people have already gathered in huge crowds as if they are preparing for a journey to moon or mars, where you find nothing.
Of Course, it’s not the people’s fault as the CM has been inconsistent in his statements wherein he has been sometimes saying there would be no lockdown, than he says government is positively thinking about the lockdown and so on. So basically there is some trust deficit between the people and the government.
Also, while the CM says one thing, the local bodies like panchayats, Corporation of City of Panaji and the municipalities are going overboard and announcing their own rules. CCP shutting the entire market putting people to hardships is one such example.
Meanwhile, as the government was playing hide & seek with lockdown for almost a month now, the COVID19 surge has killed hundreds of people with nearly half a ton of lives perishing everyday not to mention over four thousand new cases reported every day.
The decision of curfew is come too late and may not be enough to stop this surge of COVID second wave. It would require some out of the box thinking to wipe out the virus of Goa, which could be nothing than a miracle, if achieved.
The CM has a task cut out after the Health Minister too has blamed him for not announcing restrictions for tourists. The Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, who himself is the incharge of Public Health has now passed the buck to CM after failing to shoulder the responsibility of the portfolio himself.
So it would be now justified if CM sacks him and takes over the portfolio in entirety instead of the two working in bits and pieces.
Vishwajit’s outbursts also reveals that he does not want CM to interfere in his portfolio and allow him free hand to do as many scams he wants to do in COVID purchases, hospitals and the Oxygen supplies.
Despite, the open revolt by the Health Minister, the Chief Minister seems to be helpless for the reasons best known to him.
The fight between the two seems to be taking Goa to the point of no return.
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