Panaji: Goa health department has written to the state government to cancel or postpone the upcoming private music festival in the wake of Coronavirus scare in the coastal state.
State health Minister Vishwajit Rane told reporters in Panaji on late Wednesday evening that the music festival has artists lined up from five different countries which are affected with Coronavirus.
“We have written to the chief minister today to ask the organizers to cancel the music festival and postpone it. we are advising to avoid large gatherings to control possibility of spread of coronavirus,” Rane said.
The minister was referring to upcoming Ketevan Sacred Music Festival scheduled to be held between March 13-15 at Old Goa and its surrounding locations.
Rane said that the state government should discourage all kind of gatherings as a precautionary measures against the spread of the virus.
The Health minister also said that his department has written to the chief minister to procure, on priority, the testing equipments so that Goa can have its own virology labouratory at Goa Medical College and Hospital instead of relying on the facility at Pune.
He also said that the bed capacity of isolation ward at GMCH would be increased while round the clock service of senior consultants, junior doctors and nurses are provided to man the ward.
