The Goa government has denied reports that have said the state has kept tourism on hold till year-end in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

A few days ago, several reports circulating around social media stated that tourism has been banned in Indian states, Goa and Kerala till at least October 2020. It all began when Goa CM Pramod Sawant spoke on a news channel about the lockdown extension in the state and its effect on Goa tourism. He mentioned that they have decided to not promote tourism till April 30 and for the same, they have got the Prime Minister’s consent to prevail with the ban on airlines and railways.

The CM also mentioned that while they are going to ban road transport now, they’ll take a call on airlines and railways after April 30. He was also quoted saying that they will wait for tourism activities to resume, and “it will start in the month of November-December onwards.”

However, a few days ago Goa Tourism denied that tourism has been stopped till October. It took to Twitter to rubbish those media reports: “Goa Tourism Strongly Refutes Reports Appearing in Certain #media.”

“Goa government is putting its best efforts to fight COVID-19 and making Goa safe and delightful for our valued guests. Goa government strongly refutes reports appearing in certain media regarding the stoppage of tourism activities till October. We wish to confirm that there is no substance in these reports,” it further wrote.

Meanwhile, there is no official word from Kerala in regard to banning tourism in the state till year-end. Both Goa and Kerala are major attractions, especially during holiday seasons.

Chapora Fort © Journo Travellers

The coronavirus pandemic has left the whole world shaken. It all started in China in December 2019. In a few weeks the virus, which causes the illness known as COVID-19 became a global issue. There are very few countries on the planet right now that have escaped the deadly virus.

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According to a report in Aljazeera.com, only 12 countries so far have not reported any COVID-19 cases. According to the statistics provided by the Johns Hopkins University, more than 1.9 million people have been infected, and the global death toll is more than 140,000, while more than 494,000 patients have recovered.

Speaking of just India, out of the 14,000+ confirmed cases, 480 deaths have been reported so far and close to 2,000 people are believed to have recovered. The lockdown in India, which began on March 21 and was supposed to end on April 14, now has been extended until May 3.