Goa Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar on Wednesday said that the state will be reopened to tourists starting Thursday, as 250 hotels have been granted permission to resume operations, PTI reported. Goa had shut down for tourists in March, when a nationwide lockdown was imposed to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
The minister said the decision to reopen the state for tourists was taken during a Cabinet meeting. “We have decided to allow domestic travellers to enter Goa from July 2 onward provided they comply with certain norms,” the minister said.
Tourists from outside Goa will have to carry certificates attesting to their Covid-19 negative status, or get tested at the state border and stay in quarantine until their results come out. “People who test positive will be given the option of returning to their respective states or staying back in Goa for treatment,” the minister added.
He said it will be mandatory for tourists to pre-book their stay with the hotels that have been permitted to open. Hotels or homestays that have not been granted such permission will not be allowed to take travellers, Ajgaonkar added.
Goa, a tourism hotspot for both Indian and foreign travellers, is one of the less-affected states in the country. As of Wednesday evening, the state had reported 1,315 cases, including three deaths, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
