E-Paper
Planning a trip to Goa? Covid testing ramped up, curfew extended till July 5
Goa has decided to ramp up testing at the borders of the coastal state as a precaution in view of the detection of the Delta plus variant of Covid-19 in Maharashtra.
Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant on Saturday made some key announcements pertaining to travel and Covid restrictions in the coastal state. In the latest development, the chief minister said that the government has decided to extend the 'corona curfew' in the state till July 5, 7am.
The state government has also decided to ramp up testing at the borders of the coastal state as a precaution in view of the detection of the Delta plus variant of Covid-19 in a neighbouring state.
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"We have stepped up monitoring at all the borders after (cases of) the Delta plus variant of Covid-19 was reported in the neighbouring state," PTI quoted Sawant as saying.
The chief minister said the person entering Goa, if detected with infection, is kept in an isolation facility or admitted to hospital. He said people entering the state might face some inconveniences but there is no option and this has been done to ensure the safety of all.
“People entering Goa might face a little inconvenience but there is no option. This has been done to ensure the safety of the people against Covid-19,” Sawant said, according to the PTI report.
While the state has not reported any case of the Delta Plus variant of Covid-19, the neighbouring state of Maharashtra has reported 21 cases of the mutant strain, the highest in the country.
Earlier, the Covid-induced curfew in the state was extended till June 28 as the number of daily cases were still high and the positivity rate stood at 8 per cent. The curfew, which was first imposed to contain the spread of the virus on May 9 has been extended several times since then. The positivity rate in the state had reached as high as 51 per cent before declining gradually, according to an official.
Goa had permitted inter-state movement of persons for those carrying Covid negative report for a test done a maximum of 72 hours prior to entering the state. Those entering Goa for medical emergencies are allowed after producing proof of the same, the official said, as per an earlier report of PTI.
