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As arrivals rise, so do Goa’s worries, 8 new entrants test positive in 24-hours
Goa is worried about testing and quarantining new arrivals to state from trains
On a day when eight persons entering the state turned out to be positive for coronavirus, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said he was ‘worried’ about passengers arriving by the resumed train services to the state.
Addressing a press conference, Sawant cited the instance of the eighth new patient, who was declared to have been cured of coronavirus after treatment and was quarantined in Mumbai, but reported positive when tested upon entry in Goa.
Sawant said he hoped those arriving by trains would strictly adhere to 14-days of home quarantine even if their tests -- taken once they alight -- are reported negative.
“As the chief minister of the state, I’m very worried about those who are arriving by trains. I do not know whether they will abide by their home quarantine instructions. Look at the case of the seafarer (the eighth case). He was tested negative and today he has been found positive after fourteen days,” Sawant said.
He said he has requested the union railways minister to remove the Margao halt for Kerala bound trains from New Delhi.
On Thursday, New Delhi - Thiruvananthapuram special brought 17 passengers to Margao, Goa, and all were found to be negative in tests using rapid RT-PCR tests.
The only other resumed train service to Goa is New Delhi-Margao special, which will roll in for the first time on Saturday May 16. The train is expected to bring in 720 persons and will pose a huge challenge for the state administration to test and quarantine all the arrivals.
The HT Guide to Coronavirus COVID-19
Sawant, however, said that the trains could not be stopped since stranded people needed to go home.
According to the registrations on the Goa government web portal, around 6,200 Goa residents stranded across the country are seeking to return, apart from 8,211 people from abroad. Besides these, 3,842 seafarers are stranded abroad onboard various ships, wanting to return.
Goa’s Covid-19 total has now risen to 15, eight of whom are active cases detected over the last 24-hours, including a one-year-old girl, four other members of her family, their driver, a lorry driver and a seafarer.
Sawant has however ruled out imposing restrictions on movement within or from outside the state arguing that there was little threat of community transmission since all cases were “imported” and restrictions on the movement of goods would affect the state.
“We are testing all those entering the state except the truck drivers who are only screened for symptoms,” Sawant said.
