<p>With travellers from Maharashtra accounting for nearly 90 -percent of Goa's COVID-19 cases, Ports Minister Michael Lobo has called for a 15-day ban on the entry of persons from Maharashtra into Goa in order to prevent transmission of coronavirus cases from across the inter-state border.</p>.<p>Lobo also said, that it was best to take the extreme precaution, because the best of experts were still unsure about how the COVID-19 virus would react during the monsoon, with health professionals fearing a spike in cases during the oncoming rainy season.</p>.<p>"Entry of people from Maharashtra into Goa should be banned by road, by rail, and through air travel. If you want to stop more COVID-19 patients coming into Goa we have to ban their entry. This is the only solution because there is the transmission of COVID-19 virus in Maharashtra in a big way," he further said.</p>.<p>"I am demanding from my CM in writing, to impose this ban for at least 15 days. I do not mean to be discriminatory against Maharashtra, but to keep Goa secure and safe we must take the step," the Ports Minister said. </p>.<p>The Goa government was also mulling a separate SOP for passengers coming in specifically from Maharashtra, but in light of a subsequent decision to make administering of a COVID-19 test mandatory on arrival, the plan for a separate SOP was scrapped.</p>.<p>Speaking to reporters in Panaji on Friday (May 29) Sawant was asked if Goa, like Karnataka, would impose a ban on entry of persons from COVID-19 hotspots like Delhi, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, etc, to which he said: "We are testing everyone coming into Goa, so there is no need to ban anyone. When we are testing 100-percent at the state borders, I do not think something specific like this is needed". </p>
<p>With travellers from Maharashtra accounting for nearly 90 -percent of Goa's COVID-19 cases, Ports Minister Michael Lobo has called for a 15-day ban on the entry of persons from Maharashtra into Goa in order to prevent transmission of coronavirus cases from across the inter-state border.</p>.<p>Lobo also said, that it was best to take the extreme precaution, because the best of experts were still unsure about how the COVID-19 virus would react during the monsoon, with health professionals fearing a spike in cases during the oncoming rainy season.</p>.<p>"Entry of people from Maharashtra into Goa should be banned by road, by rail, and through air travel. If you want to stop more COVID-19 patients coming into Goa we have to ban their entry. This is the only solution because there is the transmission of COVID-19 virus in Maharashtra in a big way," he further said.</p>.<p>"I am demanding from my CM in writing, to impose this ban for at least 15 days. I do not mean to be discriminatory against Maharashtra, but to keep Goa secure and safe we must take the step," the Ports Minister said. </p>.<p>The Goa government was also mulling a separate SOP for passengers coming in specifically from Maharashtra, but in light of a subsequent decision to make administering of a COVID-19 test mandatory on arrival, the plan for a separate SOP was scrapped.</p>.<p>Speaking to reporters in Panaji on Friday (May 29) Sawant was asked if Goa, like Karnataka, would impose a ban on entry of persons from COVID-19 hotspots like Delhi, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, etc, to which he said: "We are testing everyone coming into Goa, so there is no need to ban anyone. When we are testing 100-percent at the state borders, I do not think something specific like this is needed". </p>
