India: Gamblers in Goa Breach COVID-19 Restrictions

Residents of Goa, India are extremely concerned about their safety in light of the many tourists and local gamblers who do not follow the COVID-19 restrictions.

Tourists and Local Gamblers in Goa Disregard COVID Restrictions

Earlier this month, the casinos in the Indian state of Goa were allowed to reopen doors. After some seven months of restricted operations due to COVID-19, both land-based and floating casinos in the city were allowed to reopen for visitors. However, in light of the pandemic, their capacity was reduced to 50%.

While it has only been several weeks since the resume of operations, Goa residents have already revealed that they are worried because of the behavior of both tourist and local gamblers. According to the locals, the gamblers are disregarding the COVID-19 restrictions by not wearing their masks and not following social distancing rules.

Furthermore, big lines and crowds of people are gathering near the entrances of both floating and land-based venues. Considering that the pandemic is yet to go away, those crowds of gamblers have raised many concerns with the residents of Goa.

Goa Residents May Suffer Because of Gamblers Breaching COVID-19 Rules

Atanasio Monserrate, BJP MLA, revealed his concerns regarding the crowds of people who are not following the standard operating procedures (SOPs) during the pandemic. Speaking to IANS on Tuesday this week, Monserrate revealed that while tourists are having fun, it is Goans that may be infected with COVID-19. He said that he will be speaking with the Chief Minister and the Health Minister to discuss what can be done to enforce the SOPs.

With that in mind, the mayor of the city of Panaji, Uday Madkaikar, where the floating casinos are boarded, has previously introduced a fine of Rs100 (US$1.35) for any tourist caught not following the COVID-19 restrictions. However, this fine was doubled by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant. Furthermore, according to Panaji city officials, a significant number of vehicles such as motorcycles and cars were removed from main roads in the city because they were causing traffic obstructions.

Focusing on COVID-19 data, by now there are more than 9,2 million cases reported in India. Although the most cases across the globe are reported in the U.S. – 12,9 million, India is holding second place in the chart with most reported positive cases. When it comes to Goa, there have been more than 47,000 reported positive COVID-19 cases. From that total, more than 45,000 have recovered, while 679 patients have deceased.