Goa to impose state level curfew from May 9 to May 23, says CM

Goa will impose a "strict, state-level" curfew, from May 9 to May 23, to counter rising Covid-19 cases, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Friday.

Stores selling essential items, and grocery stores will be open from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Medical stores will also be functional, Sawant said, adding that restaurant kitchens will be allowed to stay open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Travel and tourism stakeholders in Goa have urged Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to impose an immediate lockdown for 21 days in the state due to the "ferocity" of the Covid-19 pandemic, in order to avert further loss of life.

In a letter to Sawant, the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), which comprises stakeholders of the two industries has also urged Sawant to make a Covid-19 negative certificate mandatory for those entering Goa.

"From our own experience last year, we know that it was your brave decision of implementing the total lockdown that actually helped us in controlling the virus from spreading. This time around, we have concentrated more on the economic revival and livelihoods and rightly so, as an unprecedented number of our citizens have been reduced to poverty due to job and income loss," the TTAG said in the letter.

"This has resulted in them being robbed of their dignity and self worth.However considering the ferocity of the pandemic which was unable to be predicted the situation calls for an urgent and immediate lockdown," it also said.

The Association has however urged Sawant to give a five-day notice, before announcing a lockdown.

"While we appreciate the various measures taken by the state administration to overcome the crisis, it appears that measures like partial lockdowns and restrictions are not showing the desired results and there is a growing concern in the minds of the citizens of Goa," the letter also said, adding that a lockdown would stabilise the increasing number of Covid cases, fatalities and give the health industry workers and the overworked health infrastructure a breather.

In its list of suggestions, the TTAG has also urged Sawant to make a Covid-19 negative test mandatory for entering Goa.


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