The sudden spurt in Covid-19 cases in Belagavi district has triggered alarm in Goa, with the Opposition urging Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to evolve a new strategy to prevent any possible spread to Goa.
Wholesale markets in Belagavi district, which shares two road borders with Goa, are one of the major sources of vegetables, fruits and food grains for the consumers in the tiny state.
“A total of 17 new positive cases in the last two days in Belagavi is a matter of great concern for Goa. Both boundaries has a distance of just 60 km. Our daily vegetable supplies come from Belagavi. Goa CM must work out a strategy to deal with new challenges,” Goa Congress president Girish Chodankar said on Friday.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that in view of the sudden surge of cases in Belagavi, screening at the state’s borders had been beefed up.
“We have at least ten policemen stationed on each road border, with a 12-hour shift, along with a state administrative services officer. A health department official is also in place to take a thermal scan of every goods truck driver who enters Goa, and sanitise them,” the Chief Minister told reporters on Friday. Labourers who accompany goods vehicles are not allowed into the state.
Sawant also said that the state government had also developed an app, which would help keep track of drivers of vehicles ferrying essential commodities and ensure that they exit the state from a pre-appointed road border and date.
According to unofficial estimates more than 5,000 commercial vehicles ferry vegetables, fruits, food grains and milk every day from Belagavi to Goa, which is deficit state as far as food and dairy production is concerned.