PANAJI
With the threat of omicron variant looming large, the State task force committee met on Monday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to deliberate on the spike in Covid cases after the conclusion of the festive season.
Dr Shekhar Salkar, who is a member of the expert committee on Covid-19, attended the task force meeting and stated that important decisions have been made pertaining to schools and colleges as well as indoor events.
“Classes of Std VIII and IX, most likely, will be closed till January 26. With the vaccination of 15 to 18 age group underway, students of Stds X, XI, XII will most likely be asked not to attend physical classes after receiving their dose of vaccine till January 26. Examinations will be held offline but classes will continue online,” he said.
Dr Salkar informed that night curfew is likely to be imposed from 11 pm to 6 am from the day the government issues the order.
“The number of cases has increased. Weekly positivity has crossed five per cent and the daily positivity rate is around seven to 10 per cent. Restrictions will also be imposed on indoor working spaces and activities such as functions. The Expert Committee will meet on or around January 26 to decide if the restrictions will continue or need to be enhanced,” he stated.
Speaking about the severity of infection upon contraction of omicron, Dr Salkar said, “The presence of omicron is mainly being seen in the throat and it doesn’t appear to reach the lungs immediately. So, the chances of admission to the ICUs are very less. It is very much under control. But the coming week will be very crucial. Some people have reported symptoms such as uneasiness, palpitations. Symptoms may vary greatly in case of positive cases. Some amount of spread is there.”
CM Sawant, who made a hasty exit after the meeting, said that a detailed order will be issued shortly by the government in regards to restrictions and SOPs.
“Following the meeting of the Covid task force committee, we have decided to impose some restrictions. A detailed note will be issued soon. We are thinking of imposing night curfew and additional restrictions on schools,” Sawant stated.
The Health Minister tweeted that the deliberations focused mainly on various ways to ensure that the government doesn’t take any knee-jerk decisions. “In view of the spike, we have been seeing in other states, appropriate measures will be taken in sync with the overall guidelines of Government of India,” the HM stated.
“Attended the task force committee meeting chaired by CM Dr Sawant along with expert committee members to discuss our plan of action to curb the surge in Covid-19 cases in the state of Goa. We deliberated on various ways to ensure we don’t take any knee-jerk decisions and ensure that the citizens as well as the tourists coming to Goa are safe,” the Health Minister said.
