Goa govt extends curfew, but with relaxations

PANAJI: The state government on Saturday extended the curfew by another seven days till next Monday, with additional relaxations including the opening of shops in malls 7am till 3pm.
“Shops in shopping malls, except cinema halls, theatres, multiplexes and entertainment zones (will be) allowed to be open from 7am to 3pm. The fish market may also open,” chief minister Pramod Sawant said From June 14, the state government started slowly relaxing the curfew and allowing economic activities in the state. This is the fourth time the curfew has been extended. Over the past week, daily cases have dropped to less than 400, down from a peak of over 4,000. The first curfew was imposed on May 9 after a lot of reluctance even as the state grappled with an unprecedented surge of Covid cases.
Sawant had said on Friday that the Covid situation in the state would come under control in a few days, and that the positivity rate has already dropped to 8%, the recovery rate is over 95%, and mortality rate down to 6%. He had claimed the state is “fully prepared for the third wave”.
The state government has decided not to allow tourism till the first dose of the vaccine is administered to all of the state’s eligible population.