PANAJI
The State-appointed expert committee on Covid-19 management comprising doctors and several paediatricians has decided to recommend to the government to impose night curfew in the State and discontinue physical classes for students up to Std XII.
The panel of experts that met on Friday deliberated on mode of education and recommended that all classes for students up to class XII be discontinued for a period of at least 15 days.
It has said also said that academic work in schools should switch back to online medium in view of the rising Covid cases.
The committee also decided to follow the standard recommendation for more than 5 per cent positivity and said all recommendations of last time to be followed strictly as the average 7-day’s positivity is above 5 per cent.
Dr Dhanesh Volvoikar member of the Expert Committee said it was also decided to recommend testing and screening at the borders and restrict all functions to 50 people in closed halls and 100-200 in open.
It was also recommended that no major religious functions or gatherings are to be permitted. Restaurants to be restricted to 50 per cent capacity with strict Covid appropriate behaviour.
It was decided to have curfew and night restrictions the same as recommended last time.
The State government is expected to consider these recommendations of the expert committee on January 3, when the State Task Force is scheduled to meet.
Meanwhile, the daily new Covid-19 infections marginally reduced on Friday as 212 of the 3058 samples tested in the last 24 hours were reported positive. On Thursday, the 24-hour count of new infections was 261.
Health officials said the positivity rate also dropped marginally to 6.93 and that one more person had succumbed to the disease raising the State's cumulative death toll to 3522.
The active cases, meanwhile, breached the 1,000 mark and are now 1046.
Earlier this week, the government issued new SOPs making it mandatory for people to be fully vaccinated or carry a Covid-19 negative report to attend parties or enter restaurants.
The government, however, decided not to impose night curfew for now so that the tourism business amid the Christmas-New Year festival season is not affected.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had said his government was monitoring the Covid-19 positivity rate and stringent decisions would be taken during the meeting of the task force scheduled to be held on January 3 in case this rate rises.
