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Updated July 8th, 2021 at 21:50 IST

Himachal Pradesh govt launches COVID awareness campaign after tourists swarm Manali

The Himachal Pradesh government on Thursday launched an awareness campaign to promote the adoption of norms to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among tourists

Reported by: Aakansha Tandon
Himachal Pradesh
ANI | Image:self
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Days after images of overcrowded markets with tourists thronging on the streets of Manali went viral, the Himachal Pradesh government on Thursday launched an awareness campaign to promote the adoption of norms to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among tourists. The move comes after severe condemnation poured in from all ends, citing the overcrowding as a precursor to the third wave of COVID.

Speaking on the COVID-19 awareness campaign launched by the state govt, Anju, a tourist from Chandigarh said to ANI "Everyone is wearing masks in crowded places. We are avoiding going out on weekends due to the rush.”

Recently a video of a child in Manali asking people to wear face masks with a stick in hand is doing rounds on the internet.

Tourists swarm Himachal as state eases COVID restrictions

The swarm of travellers cramming up in small spaces, devoid of social distancing and face masks triggered panic among health officials. Earlier on Tuesday, the Health Ministry also expressed concern over the issue, “Pictures (from hill stations) are frightening. People must comply with COVID-appropriate behaviour.” Dr Balram Bhargava, DG, ICMR said during the health ministry’s briefing.  

With the second wave of COVID-19 showing signs of slowing down, and with the onset of relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions in the country, domestic travel to the tourist destination has shot up.

In the past week, famous tourist spots like -- Manali and Dharamsala have received a heavy inflow of tourists from different parts of the country. The numbers went up as people from the plains have decided to flock around to cooler destinations in the state to gain respite from the heatwave. The tourist footfall has seen a sharp increase due to the removal of mandatory RT-PCR negative test reports while the availability of an e-pass to enter the state has also been withdrawn.

The reports from the state also suggest the unavailability of hotel rooms for tourists. Mohinder Seth, president of the Tourism Industry Stakeholder Association told PTI, “The occupancy in the hotels remains between 60 and 90 per cent during weekends, while on other days it remains around 40-45 per cent."

With the coronavirus curve settling downwards, the COVID-19 restrictions have been eased in the country. Himachal Pradesh logged 12 fresh COVID-19 cases on July, 8 taking the total number of cases in the state to 1338. Around 3486 people have lost their life to COVID-19 in the state till now, as per the health ministry.

(Image: ANI)

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Published July 8th, 2021 at 21:50 IST

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