Goa in lockdown: Ban on inter-state tourist, passenger traffic invokes Section 144

To curtail movement in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Goa government on Saturday locked down its inter-state borders for tourist and passenger traffic as well as imposed prohibitory orders limiting movement throughout the state.

The order to lock-down the inter-state borders to prevent mass passenger traffic, comes a day after Karnataka locked its road borders, which includes multiple entry points with the state of Goa.

"Some stringent measures are required to be taken to ban the movement of passenger vehicles - maxicabs (12+1), all heavy passenger vehicles like contract carriage, stage carriage, All India Tourist buses, playing from the state of Karnataka and Maharashtra states, with immediate effect until further orders as per the Goa Epidemic Disease, COVID-19 Regulations, 2020 to contain the spread of COVID-19 disease," states two separate orders issued by the North Goa and South Goa District Magistrates.

However, transport vehicles ferrying essential goods like vegetables, food grains, milk, medicines, petroleum products, etc, have been spared from the ban. Goa shares road borders with Karnataka and Maharashtra.

The state administration earlier on Saturday also banned public movement in groups as well as circulation of fake news and information related to the coronavirus by invoking the Section 144 across the state.

Goa is one of the few states in India that has not reported a positive case of coronavirus yet.