Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday ruled out Health Minister Vishwajit Rane's plea to impose a Karnataka-like lockdown in the state, even as the state registered a record 38 deaths in the last 24 hours to the dreaded infection.
While Rane maintained that people's lives were more important than the need to keep the economy chugging, Sawant on the other hand said that a lockdown would only be imposed if the Covid-19 situation in the state worsens.
"In addition to the measures, Goa definitely needs to go under lockdown on lines of the other states like Maharashtra and Karnataka for a particular period. More than economic activities, the lives of the people matter to us," the Health Minister told reporters after a record 2,321 persons tested positive in the last 24 hours and 38 persons died after being infected by Covid-19.
However, after a high-level meeting chaired by Sawant, Rane, and top Health Ministry officials, the Chief Minister ruled out a lockdown.
"We have not decided on lockdown. We will crack down strictly now. Police have been instructed to take action to ensure that there are crowds for functions, including weddings. People should not complain that we have stopped their functions then. Before going to lockdown, we will have to stop functions," Sawant said.
He also blamed the ongoing clearance of a backlog of suspect Covid-19 samples as the reason for the high infection tally on Monday.
"The Covid case count is 2000-plus today because we have cleared the backlog. The second wave is very dangerous. Those who have symptoms should get admitted as soon as possible. We are providing all facilities. We have increased bed capacity. We have provided oxygen," Sawant said.
Published 26 April 2021, 16:54 IST