Team Herald
CANACONA: With Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant announcing extension of the ‘Janta Curfew’ by three more days, almost all the shops kept their shutters down, a few enterprising shopkeepers who had opened their shops in the morning pulled the shutters down after authorities convinced them of the same.
While Sunday saw total lockdown in Canacona Taluka, Monday was little different with some locals coming out to buy essential commodities but had to return empty handed as few shops that were opened where immediately closed after the police intervened.
Meanwhile, the coastal belt of Canacona comprising Agonda, Palolem, Patnem, Rajbagh, Talpona and Galgibaga still have a few hundred tourists both domestic and international, the domestic tourists looked comfortable with everything around shutdown, but the foreign tourists looked worried.
Most of the restaurants being closed since Sunday, the major problem faced by these tourists is hunger, as most of them have kept themselves indoors since Sunday morning.
Forget about food we can’t even grab a chips packet as all the shops are closed said a foreigner who is housed in his rented room at Patnem-Colomb.
Meanwhile, police at Polem check post denied entry to people coming into the State except for the vehicles who were carrying essential commodities.
Canacona Deputy Collector Pritidas Gaonkar speaking to Herald said that he along with his staff are monitoring the implementation of ‘Janata Curfew’.
“Locals being aware of the consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak are very cooperative in all sense and except for a few shops which were opened in the morning were closed eventually after we convinced them to do so, most of the people remained indoors,” informed Gaonkar.
Local MLA and Deputy Speaker Isidore Fernandes speaking to Herald said that he is monitoring the situation and thanked the people of Canacona for their cooperation in every sense.
“In view of the news that has gone viral that a Dharwad local is found positive for COVID-19 infection I am of the opinion that each and every person coming into Goa at Polem and other borders should be thoroughly examined for possible COVID-19 infection, also I will speak with the chief minister and health minister to deputy medical staff with facilities for thermal scanning amongst other facilities at all our borders so that we 100 per cent seal our borders for COVID-19 infections,” Fernandes informed.
