As the Covid-19 infection count keeps galloping in Goa, no lessons seem to be learnt neither by the State Government nor the citizens. For those optimists who think that this health crisis will help bring about some social and political change in Goa, it may just remain mere wishful thinking. We need to bear in mind that success in the fight against the Covid-19 infection, at least till an effective vaccine is found, is largely hinged around cultivating rational attitudes and safe behaviours in communities. An anonymous quote says, “a bad attitude is like a flat tyre. You can’t go anywhere until you change it.” Similarly, we are also familiar with the adage, ‘old habits die hard’. Going by the chaotic social and political environment in Goa, it will be easier to achieve herd immunity against Covid-19, but eradicating the prevailing herd mentality may be near to impossible. When motivated reasoning and fake news become the preferred mental menu in this 21st century, even for an educated class, the options for effectively tackling the Covid-19 epidemic gets even more complicated.
When the enforcement and observance of laws in Goa have always been more of eyewash, these lockdowns, SOPs and immunity booster pills for dealing with the epidemic are meaningless. When favourable EIAs and other clearances can be purchased to circumvent the laws, what is the guarantee that the Covid test reports are genuine? Can a society which does not heed signage on roads and in public places be expected to observe the warnings and markings for social distancing and appropriate use of face masks? When safe distance and speed limits in driving, wearing of helmets, use of seatbelts and use of safety gear when operating machinery are never taken seriously, how can such a boisterous society be trusted to observe self-quarantine and other safe behaviours to protect the community from the viral infection? If citizens do not maintain set-backs from public roads and neighbouring properties while constructing their houses and boundary walls, can we expect such selfish and abusive citizens to heed the SOPs prescribed by the authorities to manage a health crisis?
The hypocrisy in Goan society has never been more pronounced than in these challenging times. Besides the mudslinging at politicians, Goans continue to grudgingly submit themselves to political abuse and exploitation. Citizens falling prey to rumours, irrational fear and panic around Covid-19 cannot be expected of an 84% literate society. While local people are locked down in their homes, the borders are kept open for tourists from Covid-19 infected States to enter and holiday in Goa. Some shameless MLAs along with their cronies can go partying in violation of the law. Yet, citizens seem to have no issues with Government abusing their intelligence and toying with civil liberties by indefinitely employing repressive laws like Sec. 144 of the CrPC,with a pretext of managing the health crisis.
The Government’s approach to the current health crisis gives one the impression that spreading Covid-19 infections has now become an industry under the Bharat Atmanirbhar Abhiyan. To condone the governance blunders by claiming them to be an error in judgement is equally erroneous. With the realisation that Covid-19 is not as fatal as it was thought to be initially, there appears to be a political design to create a situation that justifies the availing of more financial loans and central grants to provide scope for reckless spending on procuring medical equipment, medicines and other requirements in the guise of tackling the epidemic. The reckless administrative orders issued by some overzealous Government authorities, by taking cover of the confusing MHA and MHRD guidelines, contributes in aggravating the problem. Going strictly by central SOPs and not using one’s discernment and discretion to adapt these to local situations is simply irresponsible. While markets are kept shut, the employees in government offices, industry and educational institutions are forcefully exposed to the risk of infections during travel to their workplace or in the workplace itself, when alternative solutions are possible. Have the health authorities maintained strict vigil against the violations of SOPs in industries, offices, restaurants, shops, and other work spaces once the lockdown was eased? Have the authorities checked the violation of social distancing and wearing of masks in public bus transport services? The Covid-19 infections are not spreading automatically. Recently, WHO has warned that ‘Covid-19 will be with us for a long time.’ Virologists predict that such periodic emergence of deadly viruses and plagues is going to be the future challenge for the human race due to climate change. The Government can no longer afford to be only obsessed with boosting the economy while neglecting the various other social and mental health issues arising from the Covid-19 crisis. In such a scenario, taking the opposition parties into confidence and encouraging community participation in the Government’s disease prevention and control programs becomes indispensable. Distributing immunity boosters and putting health systems in place after a health emergency arises is in no way a cost-effective solution. A Government which suffers from a serious trust deficit with its citizens by constantly lying on all fronts needs to come clean now. A well-defined and transparent constructive program to tackle this current health emergency is the way forward
(The author is a social activist.)