COVID-19: Uttarakhand extends COVID-19 curfew till July 13; check out new guidelines

On Monday, July 5, the Uttarakhand government spokesperson Subodh Uniyal announced that the COVID-19 lockdown curfew has extended for another week till July 13. Earlier the curfew was announced till July 6. Markets remain shut while malls are permitted to open with 50 per cent capacity.

New COVID-19 guidelines

• Shops and businesses are permitted to operate for six days instead of 5 days a week
• In the two popular tourist spots of Mussoorie and Nainital, shops are allowed to function even on Sundays. But markets of these towns are directed to remain shut on Tuesday.
• With 50 per cent capacity, gyms and coaching centres for job aspirants are permitted to operate
• The previous lockdown restrictions continue the same for educational institutions, training institutes, malls and cinema halls as they will remain closed until further orders. 
• Hotels, restaurants and roadside eateries are allowed to operate with 50 per cent of their capacity.
• Travellers coming to the state from outside or those going to hill areas from the plains, registering on the smart city portal at the start of their journey and bringing a negative RT-PCR or Rapid Antigen test report not older than 72 hours is mandatory

Valley of flowers open for visitors

On July 1, in an effort to improve tourism in Uttarakhand, the state government opened the 'Valley of Flowers' in Chamoli district. Tourists interested to visit the valley must carry a negative RT-PCR report and follow all COVID-19 prevention guidelines including wearing masks, maintaining physical distancing. According to Amit Kanwar, Divisional Forest Officer, Kedarnath Wildlife Division, the administration has authorized tourists to enter the 'Valley of Flowers' in Chamoli. About 50 different flower species have been discovered this season. 

Char Dham Yatra

On June 28, the Uttarakhand High Court on Monday stayed the Chardham Yatra reversing a state cabinet's decision to open it partially for residents of three districts from July 1. But despite the HC orders, the state government in a fresh set of COVID guidelines stated that the first phase of the yatra will begin from July 1 and the second phase from July 11. Visitors must carry the COVID-19 negative reports. 

COVID-19 situation in Uttrakhand

To date, Uttarakhand has reported a total of 3.41 lakh COVID cases with 3.32 lakh recoveries and 7,333 deaths.

The state has administered a total of 46,41,165 COVID vaccine doses across 753 vaccination centres. 

(Image credit: PTI/REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE/FACEBOOK-SUBODH UNIYAL)