Goa on Sunday registered 388 coronavirus cases and recorded 10.7% test positivity rate following Christmas and New Year celebrations, reported PTI, citing officials.
The positivity rate is the percentage of people who test positive for the virus of those overall who have been tested. There are 1,671 active Covid-19 cases in the coastal state, according to NDTV.
Officials said that the influx of tourists has pushed the positivity rate in the coastal state. A large of tourists had arrived in Goa in late December to celebrate Christmas and New Year.
Videos had emerged on social media showing hundreds of tourists on a road near Baga Beach in North Goa without following physical distancing measures.
On Monday, India reported 33,750 new cases of Covid-19 – a 22.51% rise from Sunday’s count of 27,553 cases, government data showed. With this, the country has recorded 3,49,22,882 cases since the pandemic began in January 2020.
Cases across various states in the country are increasing amid the spread of the Omicron variant. There are 1,700 Omicron cases across the country, according to the Union health ministry on Monday. Goa has detected one case of the variant.
Several states and Union Territories, including Rajasthan, Delhi and West Bengal, have imposed restrictions to contain Covid cases amid the surge.
On December 29, the Goa government too had imposed curbs ahead of the New Year celebrations to contain the spread of the infection.
The measures included allowing only fully-vaccinated people or those with a negative Covid-19 report to enter the state and restricting casinos, cinema halls, auditoriums, water parks and entertainment parks to operate at 50% capacity, reported Mint.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had then refused to impose a night curfew. However, on Monday, Sawant told reporters that his government would impose night curfew in the state, reported PTI.
The chief minister also announced closing downs schools and colleges till January 26. Students of Classes 11 and 12 would have to attend the school but only to get vaccinated against the coronavirus disease.
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