No COVID curbs till January 2 as state gears up for New Year festivities

Goa will not be imposing any COVID-19 related restrictions till January 2, 2023. However, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, after chairing a high-level meeting, added that authorities will review the situation on January 3. He also added that people should voluntarily follow COVID-19-appropriate behaviour.

The Chief Minister further added that the state will take action in line with the Centre's direction, and that they will be conducting a mock drill on December 27 to check the preparedness to tackle any potential Coronavirus outbreak. Sawant stated that the respective authorities have already started random checking of international passengers arriving in the coastal state. If reports are to go by, 2% of international passengers arriving in the state are being tested.

Goa is all geared up to ring in the New Year festivities amid a rise in COVID-19 cases in some countries and has appealed to the people not to panic, but to make sure that they take necessary precautions.

Meanwhile, the Centre has also asked the states to put in place the required infrastructure by December 27, and that random testing is carried out on passengers arriving on international flights.
The Chief Minister informed that his government has urged the Centre to send booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

If travel trends are to go by, Goa will be receiving a large number of tourists for the New Year festivities, because of which the state has appealed to people to make sure that they wear masks to avoid getting infected if there is a spread of the virus in the state.