Team Herald
PANJIM: The former Revenue Minister and Porvorim MLA Rohan Khaunte has criticised the State government for its approval for starting train movement to Goa, which has led to rise in COVID-19 cases in Goa
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Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Khaunte said that although the actual COVID -19 cases has been reported as 50 by the government, the total cases as per the information received from reliable sources unofficially has touched approximately 100 cases.
“The State government has made the biggest mistake by allowing the trains to Goa. The patients tested positive have been sent to COVID-19 hospital but nobody knows whereabouts of the tourists who have been tested negative,” he said.
He further added that these tourists might have gone to different places of Goa but whether they have transmitted the coronavirus or not will be revealed only after 14 days.
Khaunte further alleged that the tourists continue to arrive in Goa by trains and cars and questioned where these tourists are staying in Goa.
“On enquiry it has been revealed that most of the tourists coming to Goa are staying in hotels in Calangute. The hotels in Calangute are making online bookings in spite of MHA guidelines. What is surprising is that that the Calangute MLA Michael Lobo has been silent on this issue,” he stated.
“Lobo appears to have started new concept called quarantine tourism in Goa and is busy entertaining the guests. This quarantine tourism is biggest threat to Goa and Lobo is equally responsible in inviting COVID-19 to Goa for his selfish interest,” he said.
Khaunte further continued that the domestic flights are expected to commence from May 25, 2020 and train services are expected to resume from June 1, 2020.
“But the government has not announced yet about its plan to bring stranded seafarers and Goans stranded across the globe and other parts of India, back to Goa, which is quite disturbing”, he said.
