Travel body upset as Goa government fails to recognise sector’s workforce as frontline workers

PANAJI: The Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) is upset with the state government for not granting its request to declare the tourism workforce as frontline workers (FLW) for vaccination when some states have already done so.
More than a month ago, the TTAG had requested the government to declare people employed in the tourism sector as frontline workers so that they can be vaccinated at the earliest, and ideally before the industry is allowed to operate.
“Vaccination is the way forward as nobody can predict when the pandemic will end. But the government is yet to consider our request even as other segments have already been declared as frontline workers,” president of TTAG Nilesh Shah said.
As and when tourism trades will be allowed to operate, even if it is in a staggered manner, he said, people will have to follow Covid-19 safety norms as the industry will not be able to go ahead without Covid measures.
“We don’t know what is in store for us. We will have to do business with Covid around. It must be ensured that people take all measures in place because we have seen people flouting the norms,” he said.
Since last year, the TTAG has been insisting people not wearing masks in public spaces be penalised.
“Even as cases are falling it is not a licence for people to flout norms. If such behaviour is tolerated, in no time we will be back to square one,” Shah added.
The yardstick for permitting the hospitality industry to open, he said, should not be that it will be allowed only when cases are very low. There won’t be an ideal situation. “Staggered entry could be allowed in clubs and casinos but the key is Covid appropriate behaviour. The industry will have to self-regulate, and deny entry to visitors not showing Covid appropriate behaviour,” he said.