Rupesh Samant

Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Nov 26: The Goa government has on Wednesday issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) making it mandatory for thermal gun scanning of every passenger arriving in the state at the airport and the railway stations.

The district magistrate Vandana Rao, in an order issued on Wednesday, said that in view of the spread of COVID-19 due to the increasing cases of COVID-19 in other states of India and the likely risk to public health and safety, the state executive committee has adopted the SOPs for persons travelling in Goa by air and trains with effect from November 25.

“All the incoming passengers at the airport and the railway stations within Goa will be subject to compulsory thermal scanning,” the SOP reads.

The order reads that only those who pass through such screening may go home or to their destination. “Passengers with body temperature beyond acceptable range will be sent for a Covid test on payment basis of Rs 2,000 per individual. Further course of action will be as per the prescribed protocol of the health department, it reads.

The SOP also reads that persons travelling from Goa to Maharashtra by road, railway and air and who are desirous to obtain RT-PCR negative test report from the health authorities may do so after paying Rs 2,000.