PANAJI: The President Goa Pradesh Youth Congress Varad Mardolkar has strongly demanded to extend the lockdown period by another fifteen days as Goa has grappled with massive second wave of COVID 19 and government has failed to combat it.
“It is really hard to understand that, though we have the Chief Minister (Dr. Pramod Sawant) from medical field, why corrective actions and measures were not taken at the beginning of the second wave.” Mardolkar questioned.
Mardolkar said that, at present, mortality rate has gone up, compared to the first wave of COVID-19. “Now a days every second person is tested positive. We can see the serpentine queues at testing centers across Goa. This means there is spread of COVID everywhere. Hence, there is need to break this chain of virus. This will not happen by just 80 hours of lockdown, but it will need at least 15 days to contain spread of community transmission.” Mardolkar said.
Mardolkar said that BJP government should now at least listen to the concerns raised by Indian Medical Association and extend the lockdown period by 15 days to bring down the cases of COVID.
He said that as per observation by IMA there is need to bring positivity rate down from existing 50 percent to 10 percent.
He said that Maharashtra and Karnataka have opted good measures to save lives of their people by imposing lockdowns and strict SOP. “Dr. Pramod Sawant, being from the medical fraternity, has no knowledge how to contain the spread of COVID. Hence he failed to take measures at the beginning of second wave. This has resulted into mortality and many Goans lost their lives to mismanagement of this government to tackle COVID.” Mardolkar said.
“In Goa, Chief Minister and Health Minister Vishwajit Rane have a difference of opinion (in HM’s case it is a conflict of interest as he is both Health and Industries Minister) that is why this facial exercise of lockdown took place, which is anyways a weekend and bank holidays.” He said.
“This brainless BJP government has less ‘immunity’ to take measures and take correct decisions. It is infected with grabbing ‘power’, ego and attitude.” Mardolkar charged.
