Goa Covid Update: Not Entry for fully-vaccinated tourists without COVID-negative certificate.

Visitors who have been fully vaccinated but do not have a COVID-negative certificate are not permitted to visit Goa.

The Goa government has announced that fully vaccinated tourists who do not have a COVID-negative certificate will be denied entrance. However, the high court of Bombay in Goa ruled that fully vaccinated people entering Goa for work or business, as well as Goa citizens returning home, would not need a COVID-negative certificate.

“The state, however, will have to establish an appropriate mechanism to guarantee that the benefit of the exemptions is extended to only the exempted categories and not to others,” the division bench observed in the ruling.
The bench went on to say that the decision was made in the public interest and that they couldn’t afford to relax their guard in the current situation. “ Depending on the situation, normalcy will have to be restored, but there can be no room for complacency or laxity,” the bench stated.

The government of Goa agreed on July 2 to allow all fully vaccinated citizens to enter the state. However, in view of reports of tourist rushes at all of Goa’s major attractions, the High Court has urged the Union government to comment on the subject before the next hearing.

The division bench noted, “This is because there were certain reports of warnings given by or on behalf of the Central government about the relaxation of Covid-safety measures in areas where the tourist influx is high.”

The issue of giving similar exemptions for visitors visiting Goa will be discussed at the high court’s next hearing on August 5.

Find the suggested itinerary for a trip to Goa: