To take a sigh of relief from the scorching heat, people have planned to go for a vacation in Himachal Pradesh however, now it might turn gloomy for them as they would have to carry a Covid- 19 negative report. This decision has been taken by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on April 11 in a meeting to review the infection situation in the state.
Recently, Himachal Pradesh has witnessed a sudden spike in the infection cases, and to curb its spread, the state government has made the RT-PCR test mandatory for the visitors from seven worst-affected states including Punjab, Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.
The visitors will only be permitted entry to the state upon presenting the 72-hour prior RT-PCR negative report from April 16 onwards.
CM in a meeting also asked the authorities to strictly enforce the SOPs and guidelines issued by the Centre to contain the spread of the virus.
On April 10, Himachal recorded the highest-ever figure during the second wave of Covid i.e. 941 cases in 24 hours along with 12 casualties.
As of now, the government is ready to hail tourists in the state but has also directed the hotel owners and visitors to strictly adhere to the SOPs issued by the local government. CM further stressed practicing the twin strategy for testing, tracing, and treatment with effective surveillance of micro containment zones. He has asked to make sure that at least 70 percent RT-PCR test target should be met.
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The State Health Department has been asked to increase the bed capacity to cope with any exigencies along with the minimum wastage of vaccine.
As the nine-day religious festival is round the corner, the state government has allowed the devotees to visit various temples in the state however, the organizers have been barred from making arrangements of community food 'langar,' 'bhandaras' and 'jagran.'
Devotees can only visit the temple to perform 'puja' and for 'darshans' by following Covid-19 protocols of wearing face masks and maintaining social distancing.
Also, a face mask is necessary while driving a conveyance else action would be taken on the violators. Any type of social gatherings including 'marriages', 'cremation' must take place in compliance with the SOPs.