PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday advised caution during the upcoming festival season, stating that the daily Covid death count was still a cause for worry, while also adding that new SOPs specifically dealing with the festive season would be announced after taking sarvajanik Ganesh mandals into confidence.
“At present, I can say only one thing, Covid is still on. Even today the positivity rate in Goa is 1.9 to two percent. There are one to two deaths. We need to take precautions,” Sawant told reporters on the sidelines of a magazine inauguration event in the state capital.
“We have to take precautions for the upcoming festivals too. We will be issuing an SOP as a state government after taking inputs from Sarvajanik Ganesh Utsav organisers. We should celebrate festivals in such a way that large crowds do not gather,” the Chief Minister said while urging people not to crowd public areas.
Sawant also said that no decision had been taken yet related to re-opening of schools, stating that the state government had sought permission from the Centre for allowing school teachers to vaccinate themselves with the second jab.
“Once the permission arrives and their second dose is completed, then we will see,” he said.
Sawant also said that the third-wave cases in Kerala were on the rise, suggesting that the swell in the numbers in the Southern state was an ominous sign.
“Kerala is witnessing a rise in third-wave cases. We have made RTPCR test compulsory for people travelling from Kerala. Even persons from other states are allowed entry with a Covid-negative certificate or a double dose certificate,” he said.
