SATTARI/PANJIM: Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant on Saturday visited the State border at Keri, Sattari to oversee COVID-19 testing facilities set up as part of measures against COVID-19 and the implementation of the protocols at the borders by the government officials manning them.
As part of the precautionary measures against the spread of the Delta Plus variant strain of COVID-19, the State government has resumed mandatory testing of every person entering Goa via road from neighbouring Karnataka and Maharashtra in view of Delta Plus variant cases found in these two neighbouring States.
Speaking to themedia at the border, which adjoins Karnataka, Sawant said that private laboratories have been roped in to set up testing facilities, as a precaution against the Delta Plus
variant of the virus. These are rapid antigen tests that are being conducted.
“We have stepped up the monitoring at all the borders after the Delta Plus variant of COVID-19 has been reported in the neighbouring State,” Sawant said.
The Chief Minister said that if any person entering the State is found to be infected with COVID-19, then he is kept in isolation or admitted to hospital. He said that private laboratories have been set up at all the State borders, which are monitored by the Deputy Collectors.
Sawant also observed that there were queues due to the checking of each person entering. He added that those who are cleared after the test will be allowed to proceed to their destination
“People entering the State might face a little inconvenience but there is no option. This has been done to ensure safety of people from the spread of COVID-19,” he said.
He reiterated that Goa has not reported a single case of the Delta Plus variant of COVID-19.
Of the 122 samples the Directorate of Health Services had sent for genome sequencing to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, the test results of 72 samples have been received. While one set of these samples had already been received earlier, 40 more samples were received on Saturday, out of which 38 are of the Delta variant of COVID-19 and 2 are of the Kappa variant.
