Since the beginning of January, a sharp increase in the incidence of COVID-19 has been recorded in India: the country has come to the second place in the world in the spread of the Omicron strain. In this regard, from January 11, the country’s Ministry of Health introduced new rules for foreign citizens arriving in the country: a mandatory weekly quarantine. Should you exclude the traditionally popular state of Goa from your vacation plans and choose a resort with more loyal conditions? Tourists from the scene told us about this.
A week ago, the head of the group advising the Prime Minister of India on the coronavirus vaccine, Vinod Paul, reported that the country was facing a rapid increase in the number of cases. Paul noted that the index of the spread of coronavirus in the country at the beginning of this year is higher than it was during the peak of the “second wave”, when, we recall, more than 400 thousand new infections were recorded per day.
The updated rules for foreign citizens were signed two days after this announcement. According to the document, from January 11, all foreign guests (both vaccinated and unvaccinated) are obliged to quarantine immediately upon arrival in India, which must be observed, fortunately, not in a hospital, but at home, being in a hotel room, in an apartment and etc. Recall that until today, quarantine was provided only for tourists who are not vaccinated with a vaccine approved in India – for example, our “Sputnik V”.
On the eighth day of quarantine, you need to pass a PCR test, which the tourist will pay for on his own, and upload its result to the Indian portal Air Suvidha (the Indian authorities advise all tourists to install a similar application on their phone in advance for convenience). And this is in addition to two more mandatory PCR tests: one will be done to the passenger at the airport immediately after arrival, the second must be done before the trip to India (no earlier than 72 hours). Only children under five years of age are exempt from testing (if they do not have symptoms of coronavirus).
But should the Russians be afraid of the measures introduced? Russian world champion in fighting without rules Pavel Boloyangov, who has been in Goa since January 2020 (that is, from the very beginning of the pandemic), is sure not.
– Honestly, no one bothers tourists here. Even one and a half to two years ago, when there was quarantine everywhere in the world, everyone in Goa was calmly swimming in the sea. Well, a policeman will come to the beach – we will scatter through the bushes. He told us: “Go home!” As a result, he will scold and leave. Once I was walking down the street without a mask. The policeman came up and threatened: “I will put you on the list!” I say: “Don’t!” I gave him money (in terms of our money – one hundred rubles), and he lagged behind me. The police are very loyal – this is only if a tourist with drugs is caught, stripped naked, and in terms of countermeasures, they turn a blind eye to everything.
– Even before the introduction of mandatory quarantine in Goa, a curfew was officially introduced from 23.00 to 6.00. Is it being respected?
– I don’t even know anything about it. Walked late yesterday. Such measures bypass everything: visitors sit in cafes until twelve and one in the morning.
– Does anyone comply with quarantine today?
– Until I heard that one of my acquaintances flew here and was in quarantine.
Pavel notes that now the Indian state of Goa is still the best place for a budget vacation. The weather is excellent, the sea is warm, the breeze is cool but pleasant.
Maria Petrosyan, who is now also resting with her husband in Goa, agrees that the introduced rules are just an appearance.
– We just arrived. We were obliged to comply with quarantine, but they clarified on the spot: we can move around within the hotel, that is, we are not obliged to sit in a room for days. Honestly, my husband and I have already managed to go to the beach, see how the water is. In the evening we will try to go to a cafe outside the territory. I think there will be no problems either. No one is watching us, this is only a matter of our conscience, but I do not think that by leaving the room, we are putting someone at risk. All the same, our previous tests were negative, and my husband and I have no symptoms of a cold.
As the representative of one of the Russian tour operator companies working with India told “MK”, tourists should not relax. Nobody knows how the authorities will act next.
– If the situation with the coronavirus in India worsens, it is possible that Goa’s plan will pay more attention to anti-destructive measures. However, in this case, the local travel industry will suffer losses. Russians’ interest in Goa is already waning. Only one representative of the tourist market has direct flights there, and the news of the quarantine frightened everyone.
Newspaper headline:
In GOA – on quarantine
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