SKY BLUE

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I will never forget the sight of thousands of migrant workers walking for hundreds of kilometres with kids, no money, no food, just trying to reach their villages and safe havens. We simply forgot they existed when we took such a massive decision to lockdown the country.

You may know that in Goa, in addition to the stress and uncertainty of coronavirus, the Govt here imposed hunger and panic in the people by shutting down grocery stores and cutting of the supply chain of essentials. It took almost 10 days for things to stabilise.

Many became “heroes” by coming to the aid of the homeless and hungry during a difficult time. But Donald Fernandes has been doing this even before the current situation demanded it. He is not very well-known as he does his work every day without publicity, lockdown or no lockdown. Here’s some more info on him. https://itsgoa.com/street-providence-ngo-goa/

This is not a rumour, but a very prominent and internationally renowned Goan neurosurgeon posted advice on his Facebook page about how people can treat Covid-19 at home. This was not only against the guidelines that required all people with symptoms to report to the authorities, but also dangerous advice in general, as many would take it seriously coming from such a respected doctor and jeopardise their chances of faster detection and treatment. I immediately notified the health minister, who convinced the good doctor to remove the post. Unfortunately, it had many likes and shares, and screenshots if it is still being shared on WhatsApp.

Sadly, nothing will change once markets reopen. We will be as voracious a consumer as we were before, maybe even a little more, as some may choose “retail therapy” to get over the lockdown blues.

Sky blue. The colour of most of the doctors’ PPE suits – Valmiki Naik (volunteer, social activist, Member of AAP)

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