Goa lockdown: Sec 144, night curfew imposed in North Goa till August 10

Panaji, July 16: In view of the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the state, the North Goa District Magistrate on Thursday issued an order in continuation of the lockdown rules and imposed Section 144 of the CrPC, restricting the movement of people for all non-essential activities between 8 pm to 6 am with immediate effect till August 10.

All other norms and regulations will remain the same as per the existing guidelines.

This comes after Chief Minister Pramod Sawant announced a three-day lockdown with stricter provisions was enforced in Goa from Friday.

Besides, there will also be a "Janata Curfew" in the state from 8 pm to 6 am every day with effect from Wednesday till August 10, he told reporters.

Only people associated with essential services and those having medical emergencies will be allowed to move out during the curfew and lockdown, he said.

Sawant said COVID-19 cases are rising in the state, and noted that people are not wearing masks and not following the social distancing guidelines.

He said more than 40,000 people in the state have so far been fined for not wearing mask.

"Somewhere, we need to be more strict. There should be awareness and discipline among people, he said.

The chief minister said COVID-19 cases in the state are expected to peak in next few days due to continued rains.

"We are expecting a spike between July 15 and July 20, he said.

Sawant also said that COVID care facilities will be set up in all talukas of the coastal state.

On Tuesday, Goa reported 170 new COVID-19 cases, its highest single-day spike, taking the tally to 2,753. The state has so far reported 18 deaths due to the disease.