Indian state Goa will reopen tourism from July

Published on : Friday, June 25, 2021

Goa’s Ports Minister Michael Lobo said that this tourism friendly coastal state will reopen for tourists only with proper screening.

On June 22, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had announced that the impulsiveness of the third COVID-19 wave may have an impact on the government’s decision to restart tourism-related activities. He asserted that tourism activities in Goa will not begin until 100 per cent of the state’s population is vaccinated with the first jab.

Sawant had said that they have extended the curfew to 28 (June) but their industrial activities are on. Mostly, tourism activities are shut down. They can think of restarting tourism activity after 100 per cent completion of the first dose, which is after July 30.

The minister added that it will be mandatory for tourists to carry a negative RT-PCR report. He also said that only those people will be allowed to enter the state, who have been administered both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. This will be made mandatory for tourists for the first three months after the reopening of tourism in the state, said the Goa Ports Minister.

The Goa CM had earlier said that the second COVID-19 wave and the closure of the travel industry had impacted the finances of the coastal state, which is heavily dependent on tourism.

Goa has, meanwhile, intensified screening of the border it shares with the Sindhudurg district in South Maharashtra, where the Delta Plus COVID-19 variant has been found.