Goa Govt. Issues Standard Operating Procedures for Casinos

On Friday the 6th of November, the government of Goa issued a Standard Operation Procedure (SOP) for casinos in the state to ensure safe operations during the COVID pandemic.

The SOP directs the casinos to not allow entry to anyone not wearing a mask. Other requirements stated in the document include sanitising hands, temperature checks, and strictly observing 50% capacity of a facility.

As per a report in The Times of India, the document states that items including handbags and purses carried inside a premises need to be properly sanitised before entry.

The SOP issued by the state’s additional home secretary Amarsen Rane also said, “A sufficient number of hand sanitising dispensers should be placed at multiple spots and at gaming tables… for frequent use by guests and staff, (who) shall be encouraged to do so.”

The document mandated, “regular cleaning and disinfecting of licensed premises, tables, chairs, railings, slot machines, common areas, employee rooms, front and back offices, etc.”

Casinos in Goa and Sikkim were given the permission to operate from November 1st. This SOP is quite timely to ensure that guests at casinos can have some level of safety.

The state government in Goa also recently gave some financial relief to the casinos in the state by allowing them to pay their annual fees for the year 2020-21 on a monthly pro-rata basis.