Sailors’ kin in Goa wait and pray for safe return of their family members

Agnelo Fernandes from Margao has been longing to see his two-month-old baby boy ever since he got news that his wife had delivered. Having planned his sailing contract accordingly, he was due to be relieved next month. But then the Covid-19 pandemic struck and the virus has spread its tentacles across the globe. Now Agnelo’s hopes have been dashed and he may have to wait for another month or two before he can hold his baby boy in his arms.
This is the plight of several families across Goa. With a large chunk of the Goan population sailing, families back home are waiting in hope of seeing their loved ones ashore healthy.
Families are tense with fear
Juhena Rodrigues, whose husband Gavin Azavedo has just left for his sailing contract and is still in transit, is pretty worried about the situation. “Actually I am not sure what to say, we have just told him to be careful and take precautions; and hope this situation improves soon. My husband Gavin is on his way to join the ship and we
were worried about the infection on one hand, while on the other hand now I was worried if the joining may get cancelled, due to flights all getting cancelled and airports closing down. It’s all too confusing. We are waiting for updates,” she says wistfully.
Frantic calls and worried messages are the order of the day in the Fernandes home in Curtorim, Philomena Fernandes whose son is sailing in a merchant navy vessel along the coast of UAE says she tries to talk to her son every day to check on his health. “It is a matter of grave worry in the family as my daughter is based in Italy, and right now that entire country is under lockdown. There is not much we can do, but offer advice, pray and hope that they are safe. We have asked our son Jonathan to check his temperature regularly and look out for any signs of a cold or a cough and inform the doctor immediately.”
Some feel they are better off on the ship
At the moment, every news portal is flooded with reports of coronavirus outbreaks and there is widespread panic and worry, especially amongst the relatives of those sailing or based abroad says Jack Fernandes, whose brother is on board a cargo ship.
“Since my brother is working on a cargo ship, his contact with people is limited and given the fact that the virus is spread through contact, I believe he is better off at the moment, due to the relatively isolated nature of his work,” informs Jack, from Vasco.
Balbir Mathur, whose son is currently in Singapore on an onshore assignment, tells us they are worried about his health but feel he is safer if he stays put. “I feel he is better off in Singapore, as travelling may expose him to the virus, not to mention he will probably be quarantined if he does return to India. Right now officials are wary of people travelling into the country and are trying their best to contain the spread of the virus,” says a concerned Balbir. He adds, “We stay in touch with him via phone or Whatsapp. We do not need to advise him as such as there are protocols in place in that country too.”
Fear of being quarantined
While we spoke to families in Goa, we did manage to get in touch with a some sailing crew members as well. Agnelo’s fears of not seeing his son soon have been reinforced with the quarantine clause that is mandatory for people returning to the country. “Even if I do manage to sign off soon, I will be put in quarantine. We are not permitted to leave the ship, and there have been no customers on our cruise liner for the last two weeks. Every five or six days our vitals are monitored by the resident doctor on board. I manage to allay the fears of my family whenever they inquire about the severity of the situation, there is no point in spreading panic”, says Agnelo, who is currently sailing in the Atlantic Ocean.
Winston Rodrigues, who is on the American Coast, says precautions are tight. “Well as of now the main centres for the virus remain Asia and Europe. We had a case in our company where one seafarer and his wife onboard were quarantined near port for coronavirus. so it is a scary situation,” he says.
Sherwin Fernandes who has been on the ship since the pandemic broke out, says life has been miserable with too many restrictions. “We can’t go for shore leave, signing off also has become a problem. Moreover, our ship is due for dry dock in China in April. Everybody is afraid to go there but we don’t have a choice. At port also , we’re not allowed to go for shore leave. The prices of face masks, sanitisers, hand wash have gone up and I don’t know for how long this will go on,” shares a worried Sherwin.
Getting Back home right in time
Carol D’Souza e Cardozo was fortunate that her husband, Jonathan, an admin in-charge on an oil pipeline laying vessel, has been able to get back home safely. “The virus was only detected in China when he was on board in Norway on a six-week project. But by the time the contract was over it had spread to Italy and other places, so they were on high alert and were to maintain high levels of hygiene. When he was travelling back there were a lot of health checks and I was worried about the flight. I kept asking him if there was anyone who was secluded on the flight while boarding or disembarking.” she says.
Dielle D’souza is worried about her husband Luis Filipe Costa, who is set to sign off from his first sailing trip post their wedding. “The visa restrictions are being put into force, the worry is that he goes through airports and that seems to be the space where people are contracting it more, with so many travellers coming through,” she shares. Flight changes and layovers are troubling, so is the fear of quarantine. “He’s coming for three months and even if he has a simple cough he will be quarantined for 14 days. Another concern is that he’s been on ship and away from home for 6 months and then again will be in isolation for two weeks, so that may lower his immunity defences a bit and thus make him more susceptible and might not be ready to face harsh viruses,” she says.