FRIDAY, MAY 03, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: As Goa welcomes hundreds of visitors daily via air, they are let through without any checking for a COVID-19 negative certificate or a vaccination certificate at Dabolim International Airport. The Airport Authority, however, claims that it is the State government’s responsibility to ensure that protocols laid down for the air passengers are followed.
A Herald reporter experienced the laxity at the International Airport when flight passengers travelling from Mumbai landed in Goa at 6.50pm on Thursday and were allowed through without any checks. Interestingly, the facility for checking the temperature for the passengers on arrival was also missing.
What was surprising was that the passengers, on arrival, were looking for the counter or officer to show their certificates, which they had carried along with them as per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) laid down by the State government.
When contacted, Airport Director Gagan Malik merely said, “I would not like to comment…since you say it is your personal experience…there might be a miss here and there…”
It was not just passengers from Mumbai, but those travelling from Bangalore and Hyderabad also had a similar experience on landing at the airport.
“I travelled from Bangalore earlier this week along with my family. We had carried the required vaccination certificate. However, it was not checked on arrival at the airport. Though, it was checked while boarding the flight in Bangalore,” a lady passenger told Herald.
As per the government SOP, a passenger entering Goa via road, rail or air, has to produce a COVID-19 negative certificate obtained 72 hours prior to travel or needs to be fully vaccinated at least 14 days before arrival.
“The protocol is laid down by the government and hence it comes under their purview. I visited the airport today afternoon and thorough checking of passengers is being done. I have personally seen it,” Malik said.
