As India enters into the phase of Unlock 2.0, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country opened its doors to domestic tourists from today. It comes after an unprecedented lockdown that lasted for over three months.
The news was announced by Goa Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar on Wednesday. He also informed that 250 hotels have been granted permission to resume operations as per the SOPs set by the state government. The decision to restart tourism activities was taken during a state cabinet meeting, the minister stated.
However, all the tourists entering the state will have to comply with the following set of norms:
1. Tourists from outside Goa will have to show certificates attesting to their COVID-19 negative status. They will also have an option to get tested at the state border and stay in quarantine until their results come out. The government is working on getting the results within 24 hours.
2. If anyone turns out to be COVID-19 positive, they can either return to their home state or stay back in Goa to get treated.
3. Tourists will have to pre-book the hotels. They can select from a list of 250 hotels that have been approved by the tourism department.
4. Homestays that haven’t been recognised by the tourism department to reopen business will not be allowed to entertain guests. It has been deemed illegal.
Goa is among the less affected areas in the country with only 1315 cases including three deaths so far. It remained a green zone for quite some time before seeing a spike in cases again. Currently, the state has 716 active cases. A lot of famous shacks like Curlies and some other restaurants are open while bars and night clubs are yet to receive a nod.
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