Covid-19 pandemic puts Goa-Karnataka border under scrutiny

People with RT-PCR negative report obtained within the last 72-hours of their travel will have unrestricted access to both sides of the border between Goa and Karnataka

The Goa government has initiated compulsory testing for Covid-19 cases at the Karnataka-Goa border at Majali. The testing facility will begin functioning from June 30. All railway stations in Goa along the Konkan Railway route will also have Covid testing centres, Udayavani quoted Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant as saying on Wednesday.

Anyone entering Goa for work or for the purpose of tourism will need to undergo Covid-19 test on the spot. (Representational photo)

Anyone entering Goa for work or for the purpose of tourism will need to undergo Covid-19 test on the spot. “Thousands of workers who had returned to their hometowns due to Covid-19 induced lockdown are now returning to Goa to resume work, which is why our railway stations are brimming with people. Madgaon station, which is also a major junction, is seeing a boom in the footfall of people. We have ramped up the Covid-19 testing facilities here,” Sawant said.

Workers are returning to Goa from Karnataka, Odisha, and Maharashtra in big numbers. In addition, the state government has also ramped up testing facilities at Majali, a border fishing town between Goa and Karnataka. Following the return of the workers, many industries, including mining in north Goa, tourism in south and central Goa are coming back to life.

On the southern border of Karnataka with Kerala, the respective governments have made RT-PCR reports compulsory for entry into both sides of the border. Testing facilities have been set up at border checkpoints in Mangaluru, Sullia, Puttur in Dakshina Kannada district, parts of Kodagu, Chamarajanagar, and Mysuru districts.