Goa Lockdown extended till May 31: What's allowed, what's not

Panaji, May 21: The Goa government on Friday extended its ongoing COVID-19 restrictions till May 31, amid surge in cases.

"We are extending state curfew to May 31. Norms will continue as they were," announced Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant after a meeting of the state cabinet. Stores selling essential items, including grocery stores will be allowed to remain open from 7 am to 1 pm.

Medical stores will also be functional. Restaurant kitchens and medical stores will be allowed to open from 7 am to 7 pm during the curfew period.

The Goa government also said it will set up a separate ward to treat people infected with black fungus at the Goa Medical College and Hospital''s super-speciality block.

Speaking to reporters, state Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said the state has so far recorded six cases of mucormycosis or black fungus, of which one patient has died.

A separate 25-bed ward will be dedicated to treat people suffering from the fungal infection, which is prevalent in COVID-19 patients who have recovered, he said. Places such as Delhi were bifurcating the cases of black fungus from coronavirus cases, he said.

"We don''t want to mix up the two infections. A separate treatment protocol will be worked out for mucormycosis patients," the minister said.