Sunil Kataria

CALANGUTE INDIA (Reuters) – Thousands flocked to Goa beaches to celebrate the new year, as stricter government restrictions were imposed to combat the latest coronavirus variant.

India’s decision to suspend international commercial flights in response to pandemic caused a boost in domestic tourism. Goa has seen a boom of trade for restaurants and hotels.

India increased restrictions due to an increase in COVID-19-related infections. This led them to tighten their controls on Thursday.

Authorities in Goa issued guidelines to casinos, hotels and restaurants directing them to only accept guests who have valid vaccine certificates or evidence of negative results.

However, Calangute beach in northern Goa was buzzing on Thursday with tourist activity as they took photos against the sunset and zoomed around on their jetskis.

Jaya Pandey (a young Indian software engineer who visited Goa via Patna, an eastern Indian city, said, “I wanted some beach air…you know, wind in your hair, sand on my feet.

Restaurants and cruise boats in Goa were bustling, and managers said it was difficult to keep up the increase in customer numbers.

It is extremely busy. We start at 11 a.m. and end at 11 p.m., it takes 12 hours. Simplis, who is the owner of a well-known restaurant by the seaside, said that it was very hectic.

The federal health ministry reported that India recorded 13,154 new COVID-19 deaths and 268 additional cases in 24 hours. There was also a large jump in urban centers reporting the increase. The highest daily number of infections in India since October was reached.

In India, 961 cases of Omicron-related infection were reported.