Panaji, Jan 16 (IANS): The Congress in Goa on Saturday demanded the re-opening of Covid care centres in Goa, even as the infection positivity rate over the last few days in Goa has hovered just below 40 per cent.

Addressing a press conference in Panaji on Saturday, state Youth Congress president Varad Mardolkar said that the Goa government should take lessons from the fiasco during the second wave of the pandemic, in which the Congress official said, nearly 3,000 persons died due to the government mismanagement of the Covid crisis.

"Very insensitive that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has failed to learn from the past, because of whom thousands of patients succumbed to Covid. Now again, he is committing the same mistakes and so far have not done provision of Covid care centres other than GMC," Mardolkar told reporters on Saturday.

He also alleged that despite the Covid protocol imposed by the Election Commission of India, BJP leaders were campaigning in large numbers, which Mardolkar said, would spread the Covid infections faster.

"At present, the BJP leaders, including Sadanand Shet Tanavade and Rohan Khaunte are campaigning with more than 150 people. They are violating Covid protocol. But not action has been taken on them," the top Youth Congress official said.

Goa reported 3,145 new infections on Saturday, taking the state's tally of active Covid cases to 18,597.

In all, 3,546 persons have died in Goa due to Covid-related complications since the emergence of the pandemic.