First COVID death in Ponda

Ponda: Ponda taluka witnessed the first COVID death on Sunday with a 54-year-old person from Adpai succumbing to the infection.

According to information from sources, around 32 COVID positive cases have been reported in the Adpai area of the Adpai Durbhat village panchayat.

Roads leading to the Adpai area have been barricaded by the authorities to prevent further spread of the virus. Around 25 houses in Adpai are located in close proximity and cases in the area have spread to almost all these households.

Considering the rising number of positive cases in the village panchayat area, part of Adpai has been sealed by authorities and a process has been initiated to contain the 25 households by declaring the area as a micro containment zone, said sarpanch Saroj Naik on Sunday.

Officials of the Ponda disaster management team have inspected the site and roads have been blocked to stop movement of people.    

Meanwhile, positive cases have also started rising in the Kavlem village panchayat area in the taluka with around 14 new cases detected in the last four days, according to sarpanch Rajesh Kavlekar.

Most of the cases in Kavlem are linked to the Verna industrial estate and with each passing day the cases are increasing, Kavlekar said. The total number of positive cases in Kavlem presently is 24.