Goa: State-level curfew from today, tourist entry only with Covid negative or vaccination certificate

PANAJI: The state government on Saturday issued the orders enforcing the curfew that begins on Sunday. The state-level restrictions will come into force at 7am on Sunday and end at 7am on May 24.
Also, following a nudge from the high court, the government has now mandated that tourists who wish to enter Goa must produce a negative RT-PCR test report that’s less than 72 hours old, or a vaccination certificate.
North Goa collector Ajit Roy said that Goans and those entering Goa for work do not require these documents.
“If a Goan goes to work in Maharashtra or Karnataka, they have to show their Goa ID card while returning to the state, and if any person from Maharashtra or Karnataka comes to Goa for work, then they have to show proof of working in Goa,” Roy told TOI.
An important change is the operating hours of shops selling essential commodities, which will now be allowed to open only from 7am to 1pm (as opposed to 7am to 7pm earlier).
However, delivery of all grocery items and other essential items (excluding liquor) will be permitted throughout the day. Standalone liquor shops will be allowed to operate only for takeaway.
However, despite the change in nomenclature, the “curfew” announced by chief minister Pramod Sawant is not substantially different from the “lockdown” he ordered last weekend, and the “restrictions” that followed it.
Sawant said this time around, the curfew will be enforced strictly, and DGP Mukesh Kumar Meena also said Goa police had “enough staff” to deal with any law and order situation and violation of curfew orders.
While weddings were earlier permitted with 50 or fewer persons, from Sunday, all weddings stand prohibited. Cremations, however, will be permitted with fewer than 20 people.
Restaurants will continue to remain shut for dine-in customers, but their kitchens are permitted to operate for home-delivery of food.