Goa villages announce self-imposed lockdowns, CM warns against curbs on essentials

While imposing their own lockdowns with varying durations, the local bodies have also restricted the timings of stores selling essentials.

With several villages and towns in Goa announcing their own ‘mini-lockdowns’ in Goa, chief minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday urged village panchayats and municipalities in the state to not ‘create panic’ by forcibly locking out even essential services. HT has learnt.

File photo: Goa CM Pramod Sawant. (ANI)

“If you stop essential services you will create a panic-like situation and we will end up in more trouble. People should understand that essential services need to remain open and the movement of people who are involved in essential work should not be curtailed,” Sawant said.

More than two dozen towns and villages in Goa have imposed their own ‘lockdowns’ asking all non-essential shops to remain shut and restricting the timings of essential shops.

While imposing their own lockdowns with varying durations, the local bodies have also restricted the timings of stores selling essentials with most lockdowns allowing the essential shops to only remain open during the morning hours.

Sawant also announced that non-essential shops, which were allowed to remain open between 7 am and 7 pm as part of the restrictions, would now also have to shut shop. Restaurants, too, that were previously allowed to operate with 50% seating capacity, will now not be allowed to host patrons within the premises and can remain open only for takeaways.

Goa is facing an acute shortage of oxygen beds as well as liquid medical oxygen. The Goa Medical College and Hospital, the state’s premier medical facility, has converted its examination blocks into covid facilities.

State health minister Vishwajit Rane has admitted that Goa is facing a shortage of oxygen to the tune of 8,000-10000 litres per day.

Goa is reporting between two to three thousand fresh Covid-19 cases and between 40-50 deaths each day. The state’s positivity rate is among the highest in the country and has crossed 50% last week before settling to around 45% over the last few days.

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