Goa: Former CM appeals govt to provide protection to those selling essential items

Amid the ongoing pan-India lockdown to tackle Coronavirus, former Goa Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Digambar Kamat on Friday appealed to the Goa government to provide police protection to wholesalers and retailers who are involved in selling basic essential commodities during the 21-day lockdown period.

The former Goa CM also took to his official Twitter handle and thanked the state Governor Satya Pal Malik for his timely intervention and also welcomed the state government's decision to keep the shops supplying basic essential commodities like milk, groceries, vegetables, fruits, etc open.

This will give huge relief to people especially infants and old age people,he said. "I urge the government to provide police protection to all the wholesalers and retailers shops who are selling basic essential commodities. It is also important to deploy the police team in important markets like Margao, Panaji, Vasco, Mapusa, Bicholim and other areas. The police presence and supervision will help in bringing in discipline to maintain person-to-person distancing," Kamat added.

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Kamat urges shopkeepers to encourage social distancing

The Goa Assembly's LoP also urged the shopkeepers to draw markings in front of their respective shops which will guide the customers to maintain proper social distancing. 

"As three positive cases of COVID-19 virus are reported in Goa, the need to have an isolated quarantine centre has emerged. I once again demand to the government to immediately take steps of setting up the isolation centre away from Goa Medical College," Kamat said.

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"It is important to track those who were in contact with these three patients. Immediate steps are required to be taken to identify them and isolate them with home quarantine or with admission in quarantine wards. The community testing needs to be initiated by the government without any further delay," he added.

According to the latest figure available on Friday, India has so far reported 724 confirmed cases of the Coronavirus, 19 people have so far died of the deadly virus. 

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(With inputs from ANI)