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Goa: Weekend lockdown from Thursday evening as Covid beds run out
Goa CM Pramod Sawant said late admission to hospitals was resulting in the loss of several lives that could have been saved.
Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant announced a weekend lockdown beginning 7pm on Thursday till Monday morning with the aim to break the chain of Covid-19 transmissions and reduce the pressure on hospitals.
Sawant asked people, especially the migrant labour force, not to panic or leave the state, as routine activity will resume on Monday. He also instructed the tourists to stay inside their hotels during the 3-day long lockdown.
“From Thursday night to Monday morning, there is a lockdown in the whole state. Essential services and restaurant kitchens will remain open for home deliveries. Industries will continue [to function], but public transport and markets will remain shut,” Sawant said.
Sawant added that the Covid vaccination drive will continue as planned. The announcement follows increasingly louder calls for restrictions as hospital beds in the state were occupied and the queue of patients awaiting hospital beds was getting longer and longer.
Goa recorded 2,110 fresh cases and 31 deaths on Wednesday, taking the number of infections to 81,908 and the death toll to 1,086. Around 16,591 people, close to 1% of Goa’s population, were currently infected with the virus, including more than a thousand, who were currently hospitalised. Several states have imposed weekend lockdowns as part of restrictions to curb the steep rise of cases in the second Covid wave, which has partially paralysed the health infrastructure.
“We have to work towards reducing the mortality rate and the pressure on hospitals and doctors at the moment. We have taken this decision after consulting medical professionals in the field,” Sawant said.
Sawant said late admission to hospitals was resulting in the loss of several lives that could have been saved.
“Maximum deaths are taking place within 24-hours (of admission) with at least four patients expiring per day. At least two people are being brought dead to hospitals every day,” he said.
Sawant stressed that those with symptoms should approach hospitals and not stay at home without treatment. “Start your treatment early,” he added while specifying that the Covid-19 treatment protocol had been modified in the state, recommending administration of medicines at the time of testing without waiting for the results.
