Goa has been pretty lacklustre in its CoVid-19 management approach and has been taking in out-of-Goa folk by the droves since the first lockdown in India opened. This has meant that Goa has been brimming with tourists over the past 6-8 months and keeping the Goan establishments in business, including the hotels and restaurants which have been teeming with people.

Amongst all this, with the high number of non-residents travelling to Goa for revelry, there were no checks imposed on them for their health. This might have meant that people might have been transmitting CoVid-19 inside Goa without even knowing themselves as asymptomatic infections. After all, most people don’t go to Goa for sitting inside a hotel room, and while I’ve not gone to Goa in the past year or so, I’ve seen pictures of all the popular spots such as Brittos and Titos being full with party-goers and so on.

With the Goa government not taking a call on this even at the height of the second wave, the High Court of Bombay at Goa decided to decide for them. While hearing a Public Interest Litigation today related to CoVid-19 today, the court has directed the Government of Goa to check for a negative RT-PCR report with effect from May 10, 2021, onwards. While the order has still not been updated on the court’s website, a local Goa news channel has confirmed this.

#Goa #Govt #Covid #HighCourt #Legal @DrPramodPSawant @visrane pic.twitter.com/ioxKNf96p9

— Prudent Media (@prudentgoa) May 6, 2021

Update: With effect from May 10, 2021, you need to present an RT-PCR certificate with a negative report (sample collected within 72 hours of arrival), or a vaccination completion certificate (after both doses). The following exceptions will be made:

• Residents of Goa will need to present proof of residence
• If you are visiting Goa on work, you need to share a work ID or a letter from the employer
• Entering for a Medical Emergency, enter in an Ambulance or show proof.

Bottomline

Goa High Court has directed the Government of Goa to not admit people into Goa (by road/train/air) without a CoVid-19 negative certificate from May 10, 2021, onwards. But if someone wanted to go to Goa now, even for their own health, they should get tested before departure. The second wave has hit Goa hard, and the hospitals don’t have much capacity to take in tourists.

Do you think Goa revelry should be subject to RT-PCR negative tests?

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