Goa: Usgao decides to observe lockdown till Monday

PONDA: After the administration declared Siddheshwarnagar and Avantinagar wards of Tisk-Usgao village as containment zones on Wednesday, the villagers of Usgao started observing a voluntary lockdown to contain the further spread of coronavirus.
Although areas surrounding the two wards have been declared as buffer zones, locals across the village have been observing a total lockdown.
“We fear the infection may reach our houses, and so inorder to break the chain we have declared the lockdown,” said a villager. This is the second time that the villagers of Usgao are observing a seld-imposed lockdown.
The lockdown will continue till Monday, after which the villagers said they will review the situation and accordingly decide whether it should be extended or not.
The South Goa collector had declared the two areas in Tisk-Usgao as containment zones after 27 persons from seven families contracted the virus. All those who have tested positive are migrants residing in rented rooms, said sources.
Health officer of the Dharbandora primary health centre Dr Sandesh Madkaikar said that as per reports of swabs drawn on Tuesday, two persons from Siddheshwarnagar and one from Marutigad have tested positive. The reports of swabs collected on Wednesday and Thursday are awaited.
Meanwhile, the Madras Rubber Factory (MRF) at Dhatwada-Usgao on Friday carried out the sanitisation of Sidheshwarnagar and Avantinagar. Ponda joint mamlatdar Kaushik Desai, Usgao-Ganjem deputy sarpanch Ramnath Dangui and MRF plant head Gautam Raj were present while the two wards were being sanitised. The sanitisation process will continue on Saturday, said MRF officials.