Covid: Goa shuts down schools, colleges till Jan 26; night curfew soon

Schools and colleges in Goa will remain closed till January 26 in view of a surge in Covid cases in the coastal state, Dr. Shekhar Salkar, a member of the Goa government's task force for Covid management said on Monday.

A night curfew from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. will also be imposed in Goa soon, he said.

"Schools and colleges will be closed in Goa till January 26 in view of the rising Covid cases. Classes will be conducted online during the period," Salkar told reporters here, after a meeting of the state government's taskforce on Covid management. The task force is chaired by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.

Salkar also said that while offline classes will not be conducted in schools and colleges, students who are eligible for vaccination will be inoculated in school premises over the next few days, after which they are not required to visit their respective schools until January 26.

"The task force will meet again to review the situation a couple of days before January 26, to take a decision on the future course of action.

The official also said that a night curfew would be imposed in Goa soon from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.

"The government is also imposing a night curfew from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. A formal order will follow tonight or tomorrow. Restrictions will also be imposed on indoor functions," he said.

Salkar also said that the infection rate in the coastal state had crossed an average of 5 per cent, which was the reason why the task force had decided to shut down schools and impose a night curfew.