{"id":6421,"date":"2016-06-07T15:49:03","date_gmt":"2016-06-07T10:19:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=6421"},"modified":"2026-07-17T22:11:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T16:41:20","slug":"those-still-thinking-of-taking-that-last-flight-to-goa-its-a-lockdown-not-a-holiday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=6421","title":{"rendered":"Those Still Thinking of Taking that Last Flight to Goa, It\u2019s a Lockdown. Not a Holiday"},"content":{"rendered":"\nC<\/span>ycling groups are a delight \u2013\u00a0 people sharing rides, showing off their Strava stat<\/a>. As someone who loves to step on the pedal \u2013 it\u2019s a great stress-buster \u2013 I\u2019m a part of many such groups. But of late, they are causing me more anxiety than relief. At a time of lockdown, some cyclists are simply refusing to hit the brake. In fact, they are considering taking long rides to\u2026 wait for it\u2026 Lonavala.\n\n\"1\"\n\nWe\u2019ve been told by governments and health authorities time and again to self-isolate<\/a>, which means you\u2019ve got to stay in. The one-week shutdown is not a time to take off. With a curfew imposed in Maharashtra, I am hoping riding in groups is not possible (Thank you, Uddhav). But that doesn\u2019t mean you go from Andheri to Colaba on your cycle to \u201cboost your immune system\u201d.\n\n\"2\"\n\nThis, on the day before the janata curfew.\n\nFinally, the community at large implored people to stay indoors. Trust them when they say, \u201cNobody cares about your Strava record right now<\/a>.\u201d But we all know how seriously advisories are being taken in the country. The thaali bajao campaign is proof.\n\nYet many of those who poured into the streets, especially those from lower-income\u00a0 groups, could be forgiven. With not enough access to information, they tend to believe what they read on WhatsApp<\/a> \u2013 that the noise could ward off the pandemic. But what\u2019s your excuse, \u201cwoke\u201d millennials and Gen-Zers?\n\nLast week, a friend shared a post of how people were bustling to go out of town in air-conditioned buses. I learnt of another family which took off to their \u201cvacation home\u201d in Goa; someone else decided the weekend was a good time for a quick getaway. It\u2019s not.\n\nIndia has crossed the 500 mark as far as detected coronavirus cases<\/a> go, the death toll has reached 10. We are inching toward the dreaded Stage 3 \u2013 community transmission. That\u2019s the reason domestic flights will stop operations tonight \u2013 please don\u2019t rush to the airport to take the last flight to the hills.\n\n

These are extraordinary times that we are living through. This. Is. Not. A. Holiday.<\/p><\/blockquote> \n\nThe numbers are scary and you don\u2019t have to be a data scientist to wrap your head around them. The rate at which India\u2019s coronavirus cases are growing, India could see 30,000 deaths<\/a> in the next two months, with no hospital beds to spare by June.\n\nIf the future doesn\u2019t alarm you, look at the past.\n\nWe need to maybe stop imitating the Italians. We tried to come out and sing in our balconies to create a viral video but we all saw how that turned out. Pleas to stay in were just mocked by young Italians who thought coronavirus was an \u201cold people\u2019s disease\u201d. Now the country has surpassed China\u2019s coronavirus<\/a> casualty numbers, with even medical staff succumbing to the deadly infection.\n\nHoliday-seekers from the US and Europe were thrilled at the prospect of cheap travel, repercussions be damned! In the UK, people are escaping cities and fleeing to the highlands, with authorities now requesting them to stay away.\n\n

If you live elsewhere, please don\u2019t use the Highlands as your means of self-isolation. People live here who are trying to follow government guidance and the continuing flow of campervans and other traffic who appear to be escaping the cities is not helping. https:\/\/t.co\/85sdtdyS3w<\/a><\/p>\u2014 Kate Forbes MSP (@KateForbesMSP) March 20, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote>