PANAJI
After much reluctance Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday announced a 15-day long “curfew” that will come into force from Sunday May 9 at 9am asking everyone to stay at home for two weeks.
Addressing a press conference, Sawant reassured the state that stores selling grocery and essential items will be allowed to open between 7am and 1pm while restaurant kitchens, pharmacies will be allowed to open throughout the day between 7am and 7pm.
“It is a State-wide curfew to break the chain. If someone is seen roaming around on the roads, police will take action as per curfew sections. No one should step out of home unnecessarily.
Everyone should cooperate,” Sawant told the press conference.
During the period functions including weddings will not be allowed and no permissions will be given, the Chief Minister said.
Detailed instructions will be made known in orders that will be issued by the respective collectors by 4 pm on Saturday, the Chief Minister said.
The Chief Minister admitted to have “fallen short” in making facilities available for Covid patients but said that despite the “dangerous” nature of the second wave, 192 patients who had developed serious symptoms were discharged from hospital and returned home.
“There have been demands for lockdown from various quarters. It is easy to demand a lockdown but as the Chief Minister the responsibility of the people lies on me. My whole team. On an average, hardly 25 percent of people need to step out every day. People above sixty and those below 25 don't have to step out at all because educational institutions are shut,” Sawant said.
“Despite numerous requests from the government, people are not taking adequate steps.
If people had followed the law, the positivity rate would not have been 51 per cent,” Sawant said, trying to explain why he was forced to announce a lockdown.
He reiterated that the state government is making available testing and treatment completely for the people of the state.
Explaining the deaths, Sawant said that more than 96 per cent of the people who died weren’t vaccinated at all. “One or two rare cases of people who have taken one shot of the vaccine have died,” Sawant said.
