Fully-vaccinated tourists can’t enter Goa without COVID-negative certificate

The Goa government has announced that they will not allow entry to fully-vaccinated tourists travelling without COVID-negative certificate. However, the high court of Bombay at Goa said no COVID-negative certificate would be required for the fully vaccinated people entering Goa for work and business purposes or for Goan citizens returning home.

The division bench stated in the order, “The state, however, will have to evolve a suitable mechanism to ensure that the benefit of the exemptions is extended to only the exempted categories and not to others”.
The bench further said that the decision is taken in the public interest and that they can’t lower their guard, in the present circumstances. “Normalcy will have to be restored depending on the situation, but there can be no scope for any undue complacency or laxity.” the bench added.

On July 2, the government decided to allow all fully-vaccinated people in Goa. But, in the light of reported incidents of tourist rush at all the prime attractions in Goa, the High Court asked the Union government to offer its say in the matter before the next hearing.
“This is because there were some reports of warnings issued by or on behalf of the Central government about the relaxation of Covid-safety protocols in states where the tourist influx is substantial,” the division bench stated.

The matter of allowing similar exemptions for tourists wanting to visit Goa will be considered on August 5, during the next hearing in the high court.