Tourists will need COVID-19 certificate to enter Goa even after lockdown is lifted: State health minister

Panaji: Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on Tuesday said air travellers will not be allowed to enter the coastal state without a health certificate, after the Centre opens up airports once the COVID-19 lockdown is eased or lifted. Speaking to PTI, Rane said he had already urged Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to take up the issue with the Union Civil Aviation ministry to not allow air travellers to enter the state without a COVID-19 certificate. The Civil Aviation Ministry can inform the airlines about this condition. [caption id=“attachment_3152844” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] “Each state has powers to enforce its own rules to contain the spread of COVID-19,” he said. Even if all COVID-19 patients in Goa are cured of the infection, the authorities will not relax, he said, adding that the state plans to ramp up its testing facilities in talukas to widen the scope. As many as 10 rapid testing booths will be set up at industrial estates and state borders, the health minister said. “Even if the number of positive cases comes to zero in the state, the challenge will not end. In keeping with the guidelines of the Epidemic Act, we will make masks compulsory in public spaces,” he said. Goa may not detect new cases, but this lean period will be used to ramp up testing facilities, he said. Rane further said that he had directed the health secretary to formulate a protocol for random testing. “We have to ensure that the guidelines of the Indian Council of Medical Research are followed,” he added.