Goa govt shuts educational institutes, casinos till March 31 due to Coronavirus outbreak

In the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak, the Goa government on Saturday has announced the closing of all education institutions till March 31. Along with it, casinos, gyms, public swimming pools, spas, pubs, clubs and theatres will be shut as well, stated Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant. However, restaurants and malls will remain open. 

Although the educational institutes will be shut, board exams including for SSC students will be held as per schedule. This announcement came after the Chief Minister held a high-level meeting with the state’s health, tourism as well as administrative officials. 

Apart from Goa, several other states including Karnataka, West Bengal, Maharashtra have announced the closing of the educational institutes. Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government on Friday invoked the Epidemic Diseases Act declaring the Coronavirus as an epidemic, as announced by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

Coronavirus in India

As of date, the total number of positive cases in India has soared up to around 88 as per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Along with it, two deaths have been reported in Kalaburagi and West Delhi respectively. India has suspended all visas, barring for a few categories such as diplomatic and employment apart from keeping in abeyance the visa-free travel facility to OCI cardholders till April 15. Moreover, the Centre has “strongly advised” Indians to avoid all non-essential travel abroad. The government is also monitoring all suspected cases and issued preventive advisories. 

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The Coronavirus crisis

First detected in Wuhan in December 2019, COVID-19- the novel coronavirus has affected nearly 129 countries in the world. Presently, there are over 142,320 confirmed cases of COVID-19 which has led to the death of 5,388 people. As there is no vaccine or specific antiviral medicine to treat COVID-19, countries have been grappling with all possible mechanisms to contain its scope. So far, China, South Korea, Italy, and Iran have witnessed the most number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus.

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