The group of around 100 seafarers who arrived at MPT Goa on Thursday had been denied the entry into the state due to coronavirus threat and they have been asked to go to Mumbai for a checkup and follow 21 days quarantine procedure before coming back to Goa. The government said the seafarers from Goa will have to follow coronavirus-related quarantine protocol before they are allowed entry into the state.
Now as per the process all the seafarers will goto Mumbai where the will be checked for the coronavirus and will be kept under observation for 14 to 21 days, and once they complete the quarantine period they will be tested once again for the virus and sent back to Goa by special bus. In Goa they will again have to undergo another 14 days quarantine, said the report.
According to the reports, Ports Minister Michael Lobo on Thursday discussed the matter with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant after his department received a request from the 100-odd Goan seafarers to enter the state.
It has been decided not to allow the crew of the ship to land in Goa. Instead, they will have to return to Mumbai where they will be kept in a quarantine facility before allowing them in Goa, he said.
According to Mr Lobo, there is a protocol that needs to be followed and under that, no ship is allowed to enter or anchor in Goa. Lobo said the seafarers will have to undergo 14-day quarantine in Mumbai before arriving in Goa.
Once they arrive here, they will be checked for COVID-19 and then kept in home quarantine for another 14 days, he said. It looks like that life won’t be easy for the Goan seafarers who had returned to back to their homeland.
According to the reports, there are around 8,000 seafarers who want to come back to Goa, but the existing capacity of Goa to quarantine and treat is only about 300 patients. Hence it is impossible to get all of them back so soon, said the sources.
Source: Various sources
