SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 2024
Team Herald
Vasco: The Collector and the Health Secretary at a high-level committee meeting with Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant and other concerned authorities said that as per the SOPs the Containment Zone cannot be opened at the moment nor can the people within the Containment Zone from Zuarinagar be allowed to leave and re-enter the zone as this is against the SOPs that govern a Containment Zone.
The Collector also said that the Containment Zone tag can only be lifted 14 days after all cases within the Zone are test negative.
The meeting was called by the Chief Minister at the request of Cortalim MLA Alina Saldanha following two days protests by residents of Zuarinagar. The meeting was held at the Chief Minister office at Paryatan Bhavan, Panjim. According to sources during the meeting various issues pertaining to the Containment zone at Zuarinagar were placed before the Committee by the Cortalim MLA.
The South Goa Collector and the Health Secretary said that as per the SOPs the Containment Zone cannot be lifted at the moment nor can the people within the Containment Zone be allowed to leave and re-enter the zone as this was against the SOPs that govern a Containment Zone.
The Collector further said, "Zuari industry is the only industry which after getting a clearance from the Collector’s office has engaged Thyrocare to conduct testing for its workers and those who have tested positive are housed within the industry’s premises and once they test negative they will be allowed to join work, thus ensuring employment to the locals, especially to the Zuarinagar residents".
Regarding providing essential grocery products to the people within the Containment Zone, the chief minister said that the government is doing its best to reach out to the people during the ongoing pandemic and requested the Collector to ensure that provisions are timely provided every 15 days and grocery products are also made available to those having the ration card.
On mass testing for COVID-19, the Health Secretary and Collector said Zuarinagar has a testing centre at Government Primary school, Zuarinagar and those willing to get tested should go to the centre.
The chief minister called upon the police authorities on the need to maintain social distancing and requested the police to ensure that law and order was strictly maintained within the Containment Zone.
The meeting was attended by Parimal Rai, Chief Secretary, Nila Mohanan, Secretary (Health), Ajit Roy, Collector (South), Sachin Desai, Dy. Collector (Mormugao), Mukesh Kumar Meena, DGP, Pankaj Kumar Singh, Supdt. of Police (South), Raju Raut Desai, DySP (Mormugao), Mohan Gaude, Police Inspector (Verna), Dr. Jose Dsa, Director (DHS) and Dr Soccoro Quadros, Health Office (Cortalim).
