The State government said it intends to start paid Covid care centers in hotels for tourists. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant stated that his government has requested hoteliers to come forward to establish their properties as Covid care centers and some have expressed interest in the same.
Sawant elaborated on the above saying that if a tourist is found Covid positive, they will be shifted to paid Covid center (in a hotel). They will not be allowed to mix with the others or attend functions. The patient would be confined to the hotel only. This strategy would apply only to asymptomatic tourists who test positive, while symptomatic ones will continue to be hospitalized.
The CM stated that many tourists stay in their hotels only, as many temples and churches are closed and tourists don’t only come for sightseeing, but to carry out business activities too.
As cases in the state continue to rise, Sawant said that even though the state government has decided to open up for tourism it’s up to tourist to decide whether or not they wished to visit the state. He also said that no protocols were violated in restarting tourism. He said that out of every 400 tourists that enter the state, only four tests positive.
The CM also mentioned that that the government has started various Covid care centers and that each one of them has a medical and paramedical team stationed there 24*7. He added that if family members would like to provide home cooked food for patients at care centers, they could do so.
Currently, the ESI-Covid hospital in Margao had 250 beds and the Covid care centers have around a thousand. Sawant said that arrangements were being made to add 500 more beds at Covid care centers during the monsoon. Given that the infection can increase in the monsoon and the government has taken all precautions.
