<p>In view of the surge in the covid-19 cases, Goa&rsquo;s leader of opposition Digambar Kamat on Sunday demands to extend the lockdown imposed in the state.&nbsp;</p> <p>Amidst the high covid-19 test positivity rate, Goa went under a four-day-long &ldquo;lockdown&rdquo; from Friday till 6 am on Monday, May 3, 2021.&nbsp;</p> <p>"As the situation is grim, extending lockdown with strict enforcement is the only option left," said Congress leader Digambar Kamat.</p> <p>He demanded that the state government should announce a Rs 100 crore package for the marginalized sector to curb the effect of the lockdown. He further demands that a separate task force consisting of the experts from the civil society and Army should be formed and the covid management should be handed over to them.&nbsp;</p> <p>&ldquo;The task force must be empowered with financial powers to take decisions in the best interest of the people,&rdquo; he said.</p> <p>"Enough is enough, let us not play with the innocent lives anymore," Kamat stated.</p> <p>He also said that after the monsoon season begins, things will become more challenging. "We need to anticipate frequent power cuts, road blockages, and flooding which will seriously affect COVID-19 management," he said.</p> <p>Kamat also said vaccines against COVID-19 should be procured on a war footing and the first dose should be administered to all eligible people by mid-July this year.</p> <p>On Saturday, Goa recorded 2,303 new coronavirus infections, taking its caseload to 93,355, while 54 deaths pushed the toll to 1,222, as per official data.</p> <p><em>(With inputs from news agencies)</em></p>

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