With the new year approaching Goa Was packed with the tourists flocking from all over the country. Casinos arranged parties with celebrities attendance, clubs and beach filled up with the tourists following no Covid restrictions and now the outcome… Goa is heading for the night curfew and school break for 15 days.
According to the reports, the expert panel for covid management in the state had an emergency meeting on Friday and recommended the closure of Schools including the higher secondary for minimum 15 days and there is also a strong possibility of night curfew due to the rise in cases.
Meanwhile the Chief Minister of Goa Dr Pramod Sawant has ruled out the possibility of imposing night curfew till 3rd January keeping in the mind festive period.
All the major casinos in the state had announced a big ticket parties with huge number of celebrities attending the same and it became difficulty to adhere to the 50% capacity although some of the casino officials have maintained that they were following the covid norms with half the capacity but it turned out to be a hoax.
Although he Covid expert committee made an announcement in the media about the night curfew but they did not give any specific dates for the implementation of the same keeping in mind the statement of CM to not allowing the curfew at least till 3rd January keeping in mind the tourism business volume of Goa during the new years eve.
The expert committee member Dr Dhanesh Volvoikar said that the committee did not mention the dates for the implementations of the restrictions. “We have not said from when but, yet again the expert committee suggested that a night curfew should be imposed,” expert committee member Dr Dhanesh Volvoikar said.
Meanwhile the positivity rates of the cases have jumped to 5% in the past five day due to huge flow of tourists from all over the country seen following no covid norms and festivals like EDM Music, Casino Parties, Nightclubs arranging huge start studded events resulted into increase in cases.
“Since case positivity rate has exceeded 5% over the last five days, it was felt that the Covid restrictions should be strictly enforced. The committee felt that schools and higher secondaries should not conduct physical classes,” Volvoikar said.
The expert committee which first met on Monday, as the state started witnessing a rise in infections after a break of almost four months, had suggested that functions should be restricted to 50 people in a closed hall and 100 in open venues, no major religious functions or gatherings should be permitted, restaurants to operate at 50% capacity with strict Covid appropriate behaviour, and business establishments having likelihood of public gatherings, should be shut.
Friday’s meeting was convened after health minister Vishwajit Rane directed GMC’s acting dean Dr J P Tiwari to have an emergency meeting to recommend stringent measures ahead of New Year celebrations as the cases were rising.
