The Goa health authorities will test all inmates at the central jail in Colvale after a jailor was found Covid-19 positive, Health Secretary Nila Mohanan said.
The screening will be held as a measure of precaution even as initial contacts of the jailor were found to be negative for the infection.
“On the first day we received information that one of the jailors had tested positive, we took 42 samples of the jailors and other staff plus two or three inmates who were in contact with him. All of them returned negative,” Mohanan added.
“Then we decided that every single inmate of Colvale jail will be checked and as a result of which we took 161 samples, all of them are also returned negative and today as we speak 221 samples have been collected and tomorrow and day after they are going to collect more samples. Each and every inmate of Colvale jail will be checked for Covid-19,” Mohanan added.
A similar scene unfolded at the Head Office of the Goa Education Department, where a staff member tested Covid-19 positive forcing the office to shut down.
“Our health team has gone there and taken samples from people who have been working in the same section as this person who was found positive. Those people working in the same section have all been told not to come back to office even on Monday. They have been asked to stay at home and quarantine,” Mohanan added.
{{/usCountry}}“Our health team has gone there and taken samples from people who have been working in the same section as this person who was found positive. Those people working in the same section have all been told not to come back to office even on Monday. They have been asked to stay at home and quarantine,” Mohanan added.
{{/usCountry}}Goa recorded 100 cases on Friday making it the third day in a row when the state has recorded cases in three digits. The new cases have taken the number of active cases to 895 and total coronavirus cases to 2,251. No fresh deaths have been reported keeping Goa’s total deaths at nine.
Of the nearly 900 active patients, 112 are symptomatic and have been admitted to the state’s dedicated Covid-19 hospital.
Three people have also agreed to donate their plasma once the state’s system for plasma therapy is up and running, the health secretary said.
Goa’s positivity rate which was once far below the national average is inching towards the national average.