Tourists violate COVID-19 norms in Kasauli and Dharamshala, govt issues warning

Dharmashala: Tourism is booming to hill stations in north India due to the heatwave, and the gross violation of COVID-19 appropriate behavior by these visitors is causing concern for the authorities. A large number of tourists have flocked to Himachal Pradesh’s Kasauli and Dharamshala amid the threat of a possible third Coronavirus outbreak.

The locals are happy to get some business, but it has become a worry for the authorities.

Satish Kumar, a junior engineer from Kasauli, told the media that it is most crowded on weekends. ‘At weekends, the number of tourists in Kasauli doubles. From Friday to Sunday, it is very busy. It is quieter from Sunday to Thursday. The police are enforcing the mask protocol and issuing challans to all tourists who ignore it. They are slowly recovering from the financial losses they suffered during the lockdown,’ he said.

The huge gathering has thrown social distancing to the wind in these tourist destinations. In Dharamshala, hundreds of tourists appeared without masks, in violation of COVID-19 protocols, according to the news agency.

Chief Minister Jairam Thakur had urged tourists to follow COVID-19 norms on Friday (July 9). ‘We are worried about the number of tourists coming to the State. Tourists are welcome, but I appeal to them to follow COVID19 norms,’ Thakur told the media.

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Himachal Pradesh’s chief minister assured crowds were being regulated. ‘We have to save the tourism industry as well. I held a virtual meeting with district officials and asked them to keep an eye on the crowd. COVID-19 is not yet over. Hotels are being asked to follow SOPs,’ he said.

On July 6, Union health secretary Lav Agarwal warned, ‘People travelling to hill stations are not following COVID-appropriate behavior. If protocols are not followed again, we can nullify the ease in restrictions again.’

After pictures of visitors thronging Kempty Falls went viral, the Uttarakhand authorities decided to limit visitors to 50. A negative RT-PCR report is also required for those visiting Mussoorie.