Vasco sees 8 new COVID cases

NT NETWORK
Vasco
The spread of COVID-19 has now reached the Mormugao municipal council with chairperson of the civic body, a woman councillor and her husband testing positive for the deadly virus on Wednesday, shocking the entire Mormugao taluka.

Four other positive cases were reported at the Vasco railway police station, while a motorcycle pilot from New Vaddem has also tested positive for the virus.
The trio – MMC chief, woman councillor and her husband – has been shifted to COVID care centre by the health authorities and family members of the infected persons have also been tested for the infection; their reports are awaited.

Following the news of spread of the infection to the civic body, ten of the 25 other councillors rushed to the Sub-district Hospital at Chicalim to get themselves tested for the virus; their medical reports are awaited.

The civic body authorities have decided to seal the chamber of the chairperson for the next 14 days. It has been also decided to sanitise the municipality administrative building, council hall and Janata Vachanalaya Hall where the last special meeting of the council was held on Monday. Sources said the first contacts of the chairperson and the municipal officials will be tested for COVID-19, as they have shared the table during the council meeting held recently.

Fear of infection kept Vascoites away from the municipality building on Wednesday and the official work at the building could come to a halt over fear of the virus.

Personnel on duty at the Vasco railway police station were forced to sit outside the police station premises on Wednesday due to failure on the part of the health authorities to take up sanitisation drive of the police station after four positive cases of COVID-19 were reported including three police constables and a home guard.
According to sources, a home guard attached to the railway police station tested positive for COVID-19 late Tuesday evening. On learning about the case, the fear of infection led to the 32 other staff attached to the railway police station rushing to the Chicalim hospital to get themselves tested. When the test reports were received on Wednesday, three police constables tested positive for the virus even as some reports are awaited.

The Vasco railway police station is housed in small premises next to the Vasco railway station. Despite four positive cases, the concerned health authorities failed to sanitise the police station till late evening on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, a motorcycle taxi pilot residing in the housing board colony near Durga Mata temple at New-Vaddem tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday late evening.

As per available information, the infected motorcycle taxi pilot was operating his motorcycle at Headland-Sada. Sources said that he may have ferried several people and come in close contact with other pilots operating from the Headland-Sada locality.
According to sources, the infected motorcycle pilot is a neighbour of ten infected persons of a single family. The family members of the pilot have been tested for COVID-19 and the results are awaited. The total number of COVID-19 positive cases in entire New-Vaddem locality has now risen to 16.