No night curfew in Goa, but gatherings with over 100 people in open spaces banned

Panaji, Jan 08: There will be no night curfew in Goa for the moment but gatherings with more than 100 people in open spaces have been banned, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Friday.

Goa on Friday reported 1,432 COVID-19 cases, with the positivity rate (cases per 100 tests) reaching 21.72 per cent, up from 20.46 per cent a day earlier. The tally in the coastal state touched 1,86,198, while two deaths during the day took the toll to 3,530.

"No gathering of over 100 people in any open space will be allowed, while for indoor functions, the number of people should not exceed 50 per cent of the venue's capacity. Restrictions have also been imposed on public meetings of political parties (Assembly polls are due in the state shortly)," Sawant told reporters. He said the number of cases were rising but hospitalisation was low, which was a positive sign.

A meeting will be held on January 26 to review the situation before deciding whether to continue with the curbs or amend them, the chief minister informed.