Goa Reopens For Tourists From July 2

Goa Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar said that the state will be open for tourists starting July 2, as 250 hotels have been granted permission to resume operations.

“Bookings will only be allowed in hotels registered with the tourism department. Tourists who used to illegally stay in non registered hotels (booked through app aggregator services) or in unregistered guest houses will not be allowed. It will be deemed illegal,” Ajgaonkar said, adding that nearly 250 hotels registered with the state tourism department have been granted permission for the resumption of hospitality services. The Minister also said that for a tourist to enter the state, he or she will have to carry a Covid-19 negative certificate within the stipulated 48-hours window or get tested mandatorily in Goa.

He further said they installed checking mechanism for the examination of these certificates at entry points and if tourists do not carry the certificate, the will be sent to the respective hotel which they booked into and their testing would be conducted there. And only if the tourists tests negative, they will be allowed out, otherwise will have to put in the hotel.

The Minister also said that with major states like Maharashtra and cities like Hyderabad opening up, Goa could not afford to lag behind in the tourism sector. As per the Union Health Ministry on Wednesday the state had 1,315 confirmed COVID-19 cases. This includes 716 active cases and 596 cured and discharged patients. Three deaths have been reported due to the infection so far in Goa.

Source: ANI