Panaji, Apr 26 (IANS): Saving lives is more important than economic activities, Goa's Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said on Monday, stressing the need to impose a lockdown in the state in wake of a surge in Covid-19 cases.

"In addition to the measures, Goa definitely needs to go under lockdown on lines of the other states like Maharashtra and Karnataka for a particular period. More than economic activities, the lives of the people matter to us," he said.

Rane also said that he would be pitching for a lockdown in Goa, at an emergency meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant later on Monday.

"In view of the surge in deaths due to Covid-19, we shall be holding an emergency meeting with the Chief Minister to deliberate on what stringent measures can be put in place," he said.

Sawant and Rane have been at loggerheads over the issue of imposing stringent restrictions in wake of a steep hike in Covid-19 cases in the state, which have crossed the 2,000 new infections per day threshold.

Goa currently has 13,689 active Covid-19 cases and its overall death toll has reached 1,017.