Goa had on Tuesday reported 387 fresh coronavirus cases, taking the tally to 59,702, while the toll stood at 838.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday said that the coastal state will not go for a lockdown as the move will disrupt the economic activities in the state. The CM stressed upon vaccination and COVID-19 appropriate behaviour to stem the rise of coronavirus.
"Imposing a lockdown was not a solution to bring down Covid-19 related cases," Sawant said.
Sawant recalled that during the same time last year, the state had been under a coronavirus-induced lockdown, due to which the entire economy had come to a standstill.
Economic activities are getting revived in the coastal state and another lockdown will disrupt them, he said.
"Lockdown is not a solution. We do not want to disturb people. After the last lockdown, we had to start labour camps and the economy had dropped to zero. Revenue collection had dropped. Lockdown will not lead to reduction in corona. The solution is vaccination, social distancing, wearing of masks and exercising precautions," the Goa Chief Minister said.
Sawant also said that the enforcement agencies have been instructed to fine individual multiple times a day if he is found violating COVID-19 norms on more than one occasion.
"I have told the police and the Collector's office that if a person is seen violating (SOPs) in public places repeatedly, the person can be fined more than once," Sawant said, adding that police stations had been directed to fine more than 500 persons (a day).
Recently, the Goa government had hiked the fee for not wearing masks to Rs 200.
Sawant further said that the state government has written to the Union health ministry seeking to relax the age limit for vaccination for people from the tourism and media industries.
There are 2,471 COVID-19 active cases in the state. The death toll in Goa is 838.
(With agency inputs)
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