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<strong>Goa&#39;s prime beach villages, namely Baga, Calangute and Anjuna, have been identified as &quot;very high risk areas&quot; in North Goa with high chance of contracting Covid-19, according to the findings of GPS mapping exercise of Covid-19 cases conducted by the state&#39;s top government hospital.</strong></p>
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The three beach villages currently top the list of long-staying tourists and work-for-home professionals who have descended on Goa over the last few months, especially from metros in wake of the pandemic.<br />
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In South Goa district, Fatorda, a suburb of Margao, one of the biggest towns in the state, the port city of Vasco da Gama and Gogol, another Margao suburb, top the list of &quot;very high risk areas&quot;.<br />
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The study conducted by the Goa Medical College, the state&#39;s apex government health facility, has also identified urban hubs like Porvorim and St Inez, both suburbs of the state capital, and Mapusa as &quot;very high risk areas&quot;, which have been coded pink in the study in the North Goa district.<br />
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The study formed the base of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant&#39;s decision on Wednesday to impose a night curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. up to April 30.<br />
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Most of the areas identified in the study, which has mapped the expanse of the state with use of GPS, as &quot;very high risk areas&quot; are located in the populated and tourism-friendly coastal belt of Goa, which is home to its popular beaches.<br />
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Goa has witnessed a deluge of Covid-19 cases over the last few weeks, in sync with the infection patterns witnessed in most parts of the country.<br />
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As of Thursday, the state has reported 1,410 new Covid cases over the last 24 hours, during which 21 persons have died. The state currently has a positivity rate of 36.09 per cent. So far, 10,228 persons have tested positive for Covid-19 since the pandemic broke out.<br />
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In response to the steep spike in the number of infections and deaths, Chief Minister Sawant was forced to impose a night curfew in the state on Wednesday up to April 30.<br />
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Class 10 and 12 exams which were scheduled to be held in the months of April and May have also been postponed.<br />
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Dr Shivanand Bandekar, dean of the Goa Medical College, the state&#39;s top health facility said that people who have developed Covid-19 like symptoms and are awaiting test results, should already start building their immunity.<br />
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&quot;Why waste three to four days for the test results. Start building you immunity by consuming the prescribed medication right away,&quot; he said.</p>
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<em>(IANS)</em></p>
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