Team Herald
PANJIM: Reiterating that it is “too early to tag Goa as Green Zone”, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on Monday announced to install state-of-the-art ‘Smart Kiosk’ at industrial estates, MPT, checkposts, Panjim Urban Health Centre and the airport in a bid to increase the level of COVID-19 testing facilities in the State.
Goa had reported seven positive cases; however, the State, as per the govt, became the first in the country to be declared as COVID-free with no active cases as on April 19. Also, no new positive case has been reported since April 3.
In a statement issued, Rane said that with State’s COVID-19 cases turning zero and relaxation of Industries as per Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) orders, ‘it is important that we ramp up our testing facilities at the Industrial units and Airports’.
“When a State has zero coronavirus cases, it doesn’t mean you are in a safe zone. You need to increase testing facilities and bring more people under testing spectrum,” he said.
“I don’t believe any colour, be it red, orange or green. It is also too early to tag Goa as Green Zone,” Minister added.
Rane said that the government will be installing a state-of-art “Smart Kiosk” in collaboration with GE (General Electric) through a CSR initiative to have a random testing for COVID-19.
“This robust method will help us to increase our scope of testing in the State with swift sample collection,” he added.
Rane said that the kiosk will be placed at various locations including Urban Health Centre/Red Cross Panjim, Verna Industrial Estate, Kundaim industrial estate, Mapusa industrial estate, Cuncolim industrial estate, Dabolim Airport, MPT and at the border locations of Patradevi check post, Keri checkpost, Pollem checkpost, Mollem checkpost and Dodamarg chec post.
“I am grateful to Wipro GE Healthcare who through their CSR efforts has come forward to support us in this initiative by designing an innovative kiosk and having it implemented across Goa,” he added.
Intensifying its testing facilities, Health Minister said that government is drawing up protocols for conducting random testing of migrant workers, industrial workers and other labourers.
“The aim behind broadening our scope of testing is to screen more citizens, who showed signs of vulnerability to the virus during the mass survey,” Rane said.
