PANAJI: While the tourism department is yet to give in to the requests of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa, (TTAG), and install signage asking visitors to display Covid-appropriate behaviour at public spaces, a senior tourism official said only strict enforcement by police will discourage people from defying the measures.
“Whether there are signage or not, it is common knowledge that nobody should step out of his house without wearing a mask.
The whole world knows that we should wear a mask,” the official said.
Since the pandemic last year, he said, celebrities and others have been generating awareness that social distancing, hand sanitising, and wearing a mask, is a must when one steps into a public space.
“Yet, we see people roaming without wearing masks.
What is important is the enforcement, and only a penalty will work,” he said.
Immediately after the first phase of the pandemic, Goa saw an influx of domestic tourists.
The crowds reduced by April this year as the whole country was hit by the second wave.
Locals pointed fingers at visitors who were not fazed by the measures in place and were seen without masks in public spaces.
“We have repeatedly asked the tourism department to install signage at beaches and other places that tourists visit, but they are yet to be installed,” said Nilesh Shah, TTAG president.
The tourism department does not have the manpower to monitor tourist places for violations.
While beaches are manned by a few IRB personnel, a proposal was moved before the onset of the pandemic last year to have a dedicated tourist police force.
“We are yet to hear from the police department over the progress made in training police personnel who will be dedicated as tourist police.
We don’t know if they have recruited personnel or would select from the existing force,” he said.
It was decided that the police personnel who will be selected to work as tourist cops would be trained in soft skills.