Coronavirus: 5 people enter Goa via sea, rail; administration quarantines them

According to a statement to the press, these people had entered Goa from Karwar, Karnataka with the help of nine boat owners/fishermen.

Five people who entered Goa, three by sea with the help of fishermen and two by walking along rail tracks, have been quarantined and will be tested for coronavirus.

Three people entered Goa by sea with the help of fishermen and two by walking along rail tracks. (AFP)

According to a statement to the press, these people had entered Goa from Karwar, Karnataka with the help of nine boat owners/fishermen and have now been put in quarantine. They will have to undergo requisite tests for Covid-19.

“The police department has registered FIRs and is taking further legal action against all involved. The fisheries department would take steps, as per law, to cancel the license of the boat owners/fishermen,” the statement said.

The Directorate of Fisheries has issued show cause notices to two fishing vessels namely Suknem and Suknem-II off Karwar coast for not complying to the conditions laid down and has directed to pay an amount of Rs. 2.45 lakh each to the Directorate within two days.

The owners of the two vessels, Julius Michael Rodrigues and Pio Tony Rodrigues, have been asked to explain their actions within 24 hours, failing which the registration of the vessels would be cancelled or suspended without any further notice.

The fisheries officer designated at the fisheries complex, Cutbona Jetty, had reported that five crew members, three from Sukne vessel and two from Sukne-II, boarded at Karwar, Karnataka.

Amid the Covid-19 outbreak, while some relaxations have been granted for travel to work within the state, interstate movement has been banned for people and passengers. Goods vehicles are being checked at the borders for stowaways hiding in trucks.

With rail services and other means of public transport suspended, people desperate to get home have been trying unconventional means to reach home with such incidents being reported across the country.

The Goa government also plans to launch ‘Smart Kiosks’ to facilitate testing at the border checkposts, industrial estates, urban health centres, the airport and the port.

“This expansion of gathering samples would decentralise the process and help in safe collection of samples,” the health secretary informed.