Amid Omicron threat, Goa's COVID-19 task force to meet today

In view of the growing threat of the Omicron variant of coronavirus in the country, Goa's COVID-19 task force will hold a meeting on Friday to discuss guidelines for Christmas and New Year celebrations, state Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said.

Talking to reporters late night on Thursday, he also appealed to the tourism industry to abide by all the coronavirus-related protocols, especially during the festive season

The tourism industry stakeholders should take all the precautionary measures to ensure that the virus does not spread in the state, he said.

"Although no case of Omicron infection has been detected in Goa so far, all necessary steps need to be taken during the festive season. A few states have imposed night curfew in view of the virus variant. But we need to make sure that we don't have to go undertake such measures," Sawant said.

The tourism industry should ensure adherence to COVID-19 norms, like social distancing and sanitisation, to prevent the spread of the virus.

The state has been testing international passengers arriving at the airport, he said, adding, "Those who test positive are isolated and other passengers who arrive with them are also monitored."