Goa shuts down schools, colleges till January 26 as COVID cases surge, positivity rate touches 10.7%

Due to an increase of COVID-19 cases in Goa, the state administration decided on Monday to shut schools and colleges till January 26. On Monday, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who presided over the Task Force meeting on COVID-19, warned the media that a night curfew would be introduced in Goa as well. On Sunday, the COVID-19 positive rate in Goa was 10.7%. Shekhar Salkar, a Task Force member, informed reporters that it had been agreed to stop physical sessions in schools for classes 8 and 9 beginning tomorrow and to last till January 26.

Meanwhile, Salkar stated that no offline sessions will be offered in schools or colleges but that eligible students will be vaccinated on school grounds in the next few days and will not be asked to return until January 26. He stated that after they have been vaccinated, they are not required to attend courses until January 26. He went on to say that universities in the coastal state will be closed until January 26 as well. Furthermore, the official added that the state administration would issue an order imposing a night curfew between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. every day on Monday or Tuesday.

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The state has enforced the limits because the weekly COVID-19 positive rate in the state is about 5%, he added. According to him, the state government would also ban indoor activities.
The official further stated that, despite a large number of COVID-19 cases in the state, there were a few deaths and hospitalizations. Goa reported 388 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, raising the overall infection count to 1,81,570, according to government statistics. The death toll now stands at 3,523.

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