Goa govt imposes night curfew from tonight

Faced with a steep increase in Covid-19 cases, the Goa government on Wednesday announced night curfew from 10 pm to 6 am from April 21 till April 30, in its bid to slow down the rate of infections in the coastal state. Casinos and hotels would be allowed to operate during the curfew hours.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant told a press conference on Wednesday that casinos, bars and restaurants, river cruises, water parks, entertainment parks, gyms, massage parlours, cinema halls, multiplexes, public transport would be allowed to operate only at 50 per cent capacity. He also announced the postponement of Class X and XII exams that were scheduled to be held through April and May. Elections to five municipal councils, which are scheduled to be held on April 23, will be held, he said.

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"The night curfew will be in place till April 30, after which we will review the situation and take a further decision on it," Sawant said. "Public swimming pools, schools, colleges, educational and coaching institutes will remain shut. Social, political, sports, entertainment, cultural congregations will not be allowed.

Mass gatherings in religious places will also not be allowed. Rituals, however, can be held in a minimal scale," Sawant said.

The night curfew announcement comes on a day when 1,502 persons tested positive for Covid-19 over 24 hours, while 17 persons died in the same period due to the novel coronavirus infection. Goa currently has 9,300 active cases. Sawant maintained that the increase in reporting of Covid-19 cases in the state was due to a hike in the number of tests conducted in Goa.

"Today, approximately 4,000 tests were conducted. We want to increase the number to 5,000," he said.

The Chief Minister also said that the state's health apparatus to tackle Covid-19 was in order, with no shortage of oxygen or the essential drug Remdesivir. "We are working towards increasing bed capacity at our hospitals to handle more patients," the Chief Minister said.