Quarantine facilities filled to brim even as influx continues in Goa

PANAJI: The state government is grappling with the huge influx of people into the state even as all its quarantine facilities were filled to capacity on Monday. Although some hotels have also been requisitioned by the state, their managements have informed the government that their staff has gone home.
The problem is even starker at Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) residencies. A top official told TOI that after the residencies were requisitioned as quarantine centres, most contractors “either refused or disappeared”. Now, the government has engaged workers and caterers for cleaning and food services at the residencies.
The past two days have seen over 600 travellers enter Goa, most by train. “We had a tough time arranging hotel rooms for domestic travellers who came by train,” an official said. On Saturday, some passengers who arrived by rail were made to stay at Fatorda stadium till their test results were known.
The official said that the situation, already dire, is set to get worse. In the next few days, Goa is slated to receive over 400 seafarers. “We are repeatedly asked why sailors in facility quarantine are being charged for accommodation while others are not,” an official said. The official said that the “uneven” policy pertaining to persons placed in quarantine has created a feeling of ill-will among seafarers. Currently, their employer companies pay the state government for facility quarantine and the Covid test.
He added that another issue for the government to handle is the non-payment of dues by some who opted for paid quarantine.
The government currently places high-risk contacts — passengers who travelled in the same coach as persons who tested positive — in facility quarantine. Seafarers are required to be placed in facility quarantine.