News

Goa govt allows casinos to reopen from Nov 1

The Goa cabinet on Wednesday decided to allow casinos to reopen in the state from November 1 by following the COVID-19 prevention guidelines. The coastal state has six offshore and around a dozen onshore casinos, which have been shut since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in March this year. Talking to reporters here after the cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said, "The state cabinet has decided to allow casinos to reopen from November 1 onwards." The casinos will have to operate at 50 per cent of their capacity and follow all the standard operating procedures laid down by the state Home department, he said. Sawant also said that casino operators will have to pay the license fees before resuming operations. As part of the unlocking process, the state government has allowed various commercial and tourism activities to resume in the state to get the economy back on track. Tourism is one of the major source of revenue for the coastal state.

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India now has an air bubble arrangement with the Netherlands

In its latest announcement, India has now entered into an air bubble agreement with the Netherlands, making this the 19th country with which such an arrangement has been made. The air bubble is effective from November 1, 2020. Hinting at an increase in air bubble arrangements between India and other countries, Union Civil Aviation Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri had tweeted yesterday, “The mission to bring back stranded citizens began on 6 May 2020 & is now poised to dovetail into Phase-7. International travel of more than 28 lakh people has been facilitated so far. More flights & air bubble arrangements are in place to reach out to more. VBM continues...” In a bid to restart commercial passenger services when regular international flights are suspended as a result of the Covid-19, India earlier had air bubble arrangements with Bangladesh, Oman, Bhutan, Kenya, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Canada, France, Germany, Iraq, Japan, the Maldives, Nigeria, Qatar, the UAE, the UK, Ukraine and the USA.

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SpiceJet Is Now Offering To Get You Tested For COVID-19 At Home

We went from having several confusions about how to get a COVID-19 test done, to now getting tested right in our homes. Since a negative test is mandatory to travel, budget airline SpiceJet will now facilitate online booking of COVID-19 RT-PCR test for its passengers, which can be conducted in their homes in India and the UAE, with the help of VFS Global. The airline pointed out that COVID-19 negative test report has become mandatory for passengers, especially for international travel, which has raised apprehensions among them regarding the entire process of complying with various pre-travel requirements. Accordingly, the airline will enable its customers to book the test using the convenient appointment booking service offered by VFS Global. The RT-PCR test is the confirmatory test for the COVID-19 infection.

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Saudi Arabia to allow entry to foreign pilgrims from November 1

Saudi Arabia will be allowing foreign pilgrims to enter the country to perform ‘Umrah’ (Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca) from Sunday onwards, i.e., November 1, as per the latest news reports. This move will be as per the third phase of the gradual relaxation of Umrah services. Reportedly, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah issued preventive and precautionary measures to ensure that the spread of COVID-19 virus is contained. As per the latest protocols, pilgrims will be required to undergo quarantine for three days upon their arrival. Further, as per the regulations, those visiting the place must possess a PCR medical test certificate that proves they have tested negative for COVID-19. Also, the test reports must not have been issued more than 72 hours from the time of taking a sample until the time of departure to the Kingdom. The latest development comes in the wake of reopening of Mecca’s Grand Mosque on October 4, and allowed the first group of pilgrims to perform Umrah after six months of COVID-19 restrictions. Earlier, Saudi Arabia had suspended the Umrah pilgrimage and prayers in mosques in mid-March, as part of its measures to tackle the COVID pandemic. Saudi Arabia also implemented a lockdown and halted international flights during that time to deal with the crisis. On October 25, Prime Minister Salman bin Abdulziz Al Saud urged vigilance and greater compliance among citizens after consulting the health authority and scientific committee. He also warned against the risks of a second wave of COVID-19, adding that many countries are in the process of strengthening preventive actions to contain the risk of contagion.

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SpiceJet to launch seaplane service between Ahmedabad & Statue of Unity on Oct 30

SpiceJet is set to launch seaplane service between Ahmedabad (Sabarmati riverfront) and the Statue of Unity in Kevadia, Gujarat on October 30, 2020. The flights will be operated by SpiceJet’s fully-owned subsidiary, Spice Shuttle. To begin with, SpiceJet will operate two daily flights on the Ahmedabad-Kevadia route effective October 31. The all-inclusive one-way fares will begin from as low as INR 1,500/- under the UDAN scheme, and tickets will be available on www.spiceshuttle.com from October 30, 2020 onwards. SpiceJet will be using a 15-seater Twin Otter 300 aircraft for these flights. The launch flight is scheduled to operate on Saturday, October 31, in honour of the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The aircraft will depart from the Sabarmati Riverfront, Ahmedabad at 10:15 am and will reach the Statue of Unity, Kevadia at 10:45 am. Ajay Singh, Chairman & Managing Director, SpiceJet, said, “The launch of our first seaplane service will be remembered as one of the most notable events in the history of Indian aviation. We at SpiceJet feel proud to have played a role in fulfilling our Prime Minister’s vision of connecting the remotest parts of the country by air. Our seaplane service between the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad and Statue of Unity in Kevadia will cut down travel time to just about half an hour and will be a unique, exhilarating flying experience that would immensely boost travel and tourism. Infrastructural challenges have been a key deterrent for providing air connectivity to smaller towns and cities. With the ability to land on a small water body, seaplanes are the perfect flying machines that can effectively connect the remotest parts of India into the mainstream aviation network without the high cost of building airports and runways.” “UDAN is one of the most remarkable schemes launched by the government that has provided unprecedented connectivity. SpiceJet has been the strongest supporter and the most enthusiastic participant in UDAN from the very beginning and was the only big private airline to participate in UDAN I. After building a network of flights across the length breadth of the nation under UDAN, SpiceJet’s new seaplane service is all set to introduce a whole new chapter for the country’s regional connectivity.” SpiceJet has secured 18 seaplane routes under the UDAN which includes – Ahmedabad-Kevadia (Sabarmati River Front to Statue of Unity, Sardar Sarovar), Agatti-Minicoy, Agatti-Kavaratti, among others.

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Goa gets its first ‘smart street’ in Calangute

Goa just got its first ‘smart street’ in the coastal village of Calangute. It is touted to be the first such street in Goa with CCTV cameras, 30 light poles with four-coloured theme lighting, and Wi-Fi connection to boot. The street also features special kiosks for the local vendors, who sell homemade food on the street. The Tito’s lane in Baga, Calangute, is also lined up with solar blinkers and smart digital boards that turn the street lively at night. Referring to this, a local panchayat member stated that the idea popped up during a brain-storming session between the local MLA and panchayat members. Reportedly, this is the most happening street in the coastal belt, which is why they decided to rebrand and revive the street to make it vibrant, clean and safe. The smart street has been developed by Shankh Creations along with the Calangute panchayat. The said street was recently inaugurated by Ports Ministers and local MLA Michael Lobo with much fanfare in presence of many prominent personalities. Appreciating the locals for this, Lobo credited the villagers who gave their nod to turn the street into a smart street. He said, “Smart people who live in this area gave us a chance to develop the street. They always said do whatever is good for the public.” The Ports Minister maintained that the maintenance of the street should be a top priority, and hinted how several projects failed to meet expectations on account of non-maintenance. Lobo further informed that the initiative has been undertaken as a corporate social responsibility (CSR) measure and that the government has not spent a single penny on the same.

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