Amid rising Covid cases, lockdown extended in Goa till 7 am on May 10

Amid rising COVID-19 cases, the State government on Monday extended lockdown in Goa from 6 am on May 3 till 7 am on May 10, exempting essential service providers. Casinos, bars, sports complexes, river cruises, gyms, schools, colleges and weekly markets will remain closed across the state.

In an order issued by North Goa District Magistrate, Ajit Roy, read, "A surge in COVID-19 cases is being witnessed in Goa and other parts of the country, and the situation might further aggravate due to public gatherings and active interactions among high positivity rate."

The order further stated that in order to contain the spread of the said pandemic, certain measures are required to be taken to prevent the spread of the disease.

Activities including social, political, sports, entertainment, academic and cultural functions and other congregations; gathering of five or more persons in public places and use of buses except for people going for duty or medical emergencies (with a maximum capacity of 50 per cent) will be prohibited, said the order.

Goa is already under a four-day lockdown till May 3. The decision was announced by the Chief Minister at a press conference on April 28, allowing the functioning of essential services and industries.

India on Sunday reported 3,92,488 new COVID-19 cases taking the cumulative count of the cases to 1,95,57,457, the Union Health Ministry said. With 3,689 people succumbing to the infection on Sunday, the death toll mounted to 2,15,542.There were 33,49,644 active cases of COVID-19 in the country yesterday.