Panaji, Aug 31 (IANS): Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday said violation of social distancing norms during Ganesh Chaturthi led to the recent spurt in coronavirus cases in the state.

"The Opposition has made it a habit to make it an issue out of anything. What is true is true. People have not followed social distancing rules. That is not God's fault. I have not blamed God," Sawant said.

"It is a fact that cases have one up. I've not said that it is because of the festival. It is because people didn't follow social distancing. They went from the cities to their (ancestral) homes (in villages) came in close contact," the Chief Minister added.

The Opposition had slammed Sawant's comments on August 29, while speaking at a function in his Legislative Assembly constituency in Sanquelim, in which the Chief Minister had linked the recent increase in Covid-19 cases due to violation of social distancing norms during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival.

"We have noticed that the number of coronavirus cases have increased after Ganesh Chaturthi. Daily count was hovering around 150 cases per day before the festival, but now there has been a rise," Sawant said.

According to health officials, Goa currently has recorded 16,553 confirmed Covid-19 cases, with number of active cases in the state at 3,646.

As many as 178 persons in Goa have died after testing Covid positive ever since the pandemic broke earlier this year.