Tourism nod only after entire state gets first jab: Goa CM Pramod Sawant

PANAJI: Chief minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday said that the state government does not plan to restart tourism activities till the first dose of the vaccine against Covid-19 is administered to all of the state’s eligible population.
The Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), which had met Sawant and tourism minister Manohar Ajgaonkar recently, had said that the state government would reopen the hospitality sector fully only after the Covid-19 positivity rate drops below 5%.
“The TTAG has put forth some demands which are under consideration. We are not starting tourism in Goa till the state’s eligible population receives the first dose of vaccine,” the CM told reporters on Thursday. He said the state government has set a target of July 30 to complete the first dose of inoculation to all people who are 18 years and above. “We are getting good response from the public,” he said.
TTAG president Nilesh Shah had recently said that the association insisted that tourism be started at the earliest with all protocols in place, and that tourists who are vaccinated be allowed entry into the state freely. He had also said that others may be permitted entry on production of a Covid-19 negative certificate, and that kiosks could be set up through private bodies to let those who wish to visit get tested at the entry points.
Recently, Sawant had said that Goa is a preferred tourism destination, both in India and internationally, and that even during the pandemic tourists have preferred it. The state will always welcome tourists, he had said.