Goa CM rules out community transmission from new virus cases

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant

on Thursday said that there was no possibility of community transmission through eight coronavirus patients who were detected in the state over the last two days.

After a gap of more than a month, Goa has reported eight fresh cases. All eight patients arrived in the state from outside.

Sawant told reporters here that there was no community transmission, as six of these patients, who are from one family, tested positive when they were quarantined upon arrival from Mumbai.

"The truck driver (another patient) who tested positive had not interacted with many people, while the eighth patient is a person who was working on a ship and arrived from Mumbai after being quarantined for 14 days," he said.

 

The seafarer tested negative on May 1, after which he underwent 14 days' quarantine. "When he was tested again upon arrival in Goa, he tested positive," Sawant said.

There had bee no transmission within the state as "all these cases are imported" (have come from outside), the chief minister added.

The economic activities which have resumed will be allowed to continue unless the Union Ministry of Home Affairs advises otherwise, he said.

He also informed that the state government has suggested that a train from Delhi to Trivendrum which will run on May 15 should not halt at Margao.

"720 people have booked tickets on the train to get down at Goa. We have realized that hardly anyone of them is Goan," the chief minister said.

"We are concerned about what will happen once they get down. We will have to test them. We will advice them home quarantine, but we are not sure if they will do that. That is why we have suggested that the train skip Margao stop," he said.