Use Ganesh festival to urge people to get vaccinated: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday said that the state's most popular Hindu festival, Ganesh Chaturthi, should be used to urge people to vaccinate themselves, even as he said that vaccination should be an integral part of the conversations around the festivals.

"Don't just ask if you have eaten neurios for Chaturthi, ask whether the person has taken a vaccine too. We will be able to promote vaccination during Chaturthi," the Chief Minister said. Neurios are a popular fried and stuffed sweetmeat that is synonymous with the festival in Goa.

"Do forget to get yourself tested just because you feel you might miss out on the Chaturthi festival. It is OK if you skip Chaturthi festivities for a year, but get yourself tested for your own sake and more importantly for your children. We have not vaccinated our children yet," Sawant added.

The Chief Minister also said that instead of just greeting friends and family with a warm handshake during the festival, people should first enquire whether they have vaccinated themselves.

"Before shaking hands, ask him if he has taken a vaccine or not. That is the need. It is important to ensure that you are secure even before shaking hands with someone. If we ask such a question, we will be able to create awareness among everyone," the Chief Minister said.

Sawant also said that Goa needed to be on the alert like the states of Kerala and Maharashtra, which have witnessed an increase in the number of Covid cases of late.

"We are fully prepared, but people also have to be fully prepared. No one had thought that the second wave would strike to such a degree. We need to be alert," Sawant told a government function here.

"Our neighbouring states of Maharashtra and Kerala have alerted their people because the maximum cases at present are in Kerala and Maharashtra. Maharashtra has started imposing the curfew in a big way," the Chief Minister said.