Goa not to open for tourism until statewide coverage of first Covid jab: CM

Goa will not open for tourism until the state fully administers the first vaccine shot to its population, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said in a major policy announcement on Thursday.

Sawant also said that the Goa government was aiming at 100 per cent coverage of the first vaccination shot by July 30.

"There is no plan to start tourism until the first vaccination dose is completed. Our target is to complete it by July 30," Sawant told reporters on the sidelines of a private function.

The Goa government's ongoing Tika Utsav 3.0 is aimed at 100 per cent coverage of the first vaccine shot for all adults in the state.

Sawant, who met tourism industry stakeholders earlier this week also said that any decision related to opening up tourism would be taken only after July 30.

The tourism industry stakeholders in their memorandum to the Chief Minister had called for strict enforcement of protocol for entry to Goa, quarantine centres for tourists and putting off high-capacity events like electronic dance music festivals till March 2022.

The Goa tourism industry stakeholders had said this is in order to "re-build the image of Goa to all tourists".

--IANS

maya/skp/