PANAJI
The Bombay High Court at Goa has kept for Wednesday the petition by the Goa government to allow all vaccinated persons to enter the state without having to produce a Covid negative certificate on arrival.
The Goa government had sought that persons who are fully vaccinated be allowed to enter the state without having to produce a covid negative certificate.
However, at the last hearing in mid-July, the High Court modified its orders to make an exception only if those entering the state were not doing so for tourism purposes. Besides tourists, all others entering the state would be exempt from having to produce a Covid negative certificate provided they were fully vaccinated -- two full weeks from having taken their last dose.
The matter was initially to be heard in the first week of August but was later scheduled to be heard on Monday but has now been kept back for Wednesday, August 25.
The state has been pushing to allow those fully vaccinated to enter the state in a bid to reduce the hold-ups at the state’s borders since testing on arrival was made mandatory.
In mid-July, the High Court modified its orders to allow persons who have been fully vaccinated to enter Goa without having to produce a Covid-negative certificate -- except tourists, who are visiting the state who will continue to have to produce a negative certificate even if they have been ‘fully vaccinated.’
The court pointed to the “alarming” situation as reported in the media where hill states and hill stations experienced a glut of tourists and asked the Advocate General whether such a situation could be repeated in Goa. The court asked the state whether it considered it safe that tourists even if vaccinated be allowed to enter without a test.
