Impose lockdown for next eight days: Vijai

Margao: Goa Forward Party chief Vijai Sardesai on Wednesday strongly demanded that the government should impose lockdown for the next eight days.

Reacting to the three-day lockdown announced by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Sardesai in a video message accused the government of “taking Goa to the grave” as regards the coronavirus pandemic.

Sardesai said, “The Chief Minister has backstabbed Goans on the COVID issue. The Chief Minister ‘imported’ coronavirus in Goa by opening the tourism sector. The Chief Minister ignored his ministers on the demand for imposition of lockdown in Vasco only to help Adanis transport coal. The BJP government is taking Goa to the grave on the COVID pandemic. We strongly demand that the government should impose lockdown for the next eight days.”

It is high time the government imposed eight-day lockdown to break the chain of infections, Sardesai added. The government should ramp up health facilities during the lockdown period and should aggressively go for testing and contact tracing, he said, accusing the government of underreporting COVID-related figures.