Goa: Six MLAs test -ve for Covid, reports of others awaited

Panaji: The RT-PCR tests of six MLAs, including urban development minister Milind Naik, have come negative for Covid-19 with the test results of other MLAs and ministers awaited, according to speaker Rajesh Patnekar.

Patnekar said the legislature secretariat would take a call on making Covid-19 negative certificates mandatory on Monday evening after the MLAs take their second dose of the Covid vaccine. Assembly resumes on Tuesday.

“Some MLAs are vaccinated with the first dose and will take the second dose tomorrow. Let us wait till Monday,” Patnekar said.

Goa legislature secretary Namrata Ulman had asked all the 40 MLAs in the state to get themselves tested, a day after Panaji MLA Atanasio Monserratte tested positive.

Patnekar said that he has received the Covid-19 negative reports of Dayanand Sopte, Naik and heard that MLAs Rohan Khaunte, Vijai Sardesai and cooperation minister Govind Gaude have tested negative for Covid-19. Curtoroim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco is among theose whose reports came negative in the evening.

Meanwhile, the collector has directed the Tiswadi mamlatdar to contact the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) councillors and supporters to begin contact tracing and testing.

Outgoing Corporation of the City of Panaji mayor Uday Madkaikar said that the mamlatdar has contacted all the councillors and urged them to get themselves tested. “Some of us have got tested and some have yet to get tested. Nobody is showing any symptoms,” he said.

Madkaikar said that he has chosen not to get tested since he has already been infected by coronavirus and has anti-bodies. “I don’t have any symptoms so far. If I get symptoms, I will rush to the hospital and get myself tested,” he said.