Goa denotifies most Covid facilities amid dip in cases

Panaji, June 25 Barring two major health facilities, the Goa government has denotified all other government hospitals in the state as designated Covid facilities in wake of a sharp drop in the number of new infections, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Friday.

Sawant also told reporters that the ongoing Covid curfew, which lapses on Sunday, will be extended further.

"There were many vacant beds in these hospitals. Even if the facilities have been denotified, we are in a position to restart them again at any time," Sawant said.

The Chief Minister also said that only two government hospitals, the South Goa district hospital and a super speciality unit attached to the Goa Medical College, near Panaji, would now function as the government Covid facilities.

Over the last few days, the daily new infection count appears to have plateaued to around 250 cases, even as the daily mortality rate has dropped to single digits.

Sawant said that OPD facilities in the rest of the government hospitals, previously notified as Covid treatment facilities, have already been started.

"OPDs have started. They need to be started now because monsoons have arrived," the Chief Minister said.