DEHRADUN: Delhi and NCR residents planning to zip off to Nainital or Mussoorie for Christmas-New Year vacation will have to make sure they have no Covid-19 symptoms before they set out for the hills.
The Uttarakhand High Court on Wednesday directed the state government to mandatorily test the tourists visiting the two towns amid rising cases.
The court issued the direction while hearing a bunch of public interest litigations about the condition of quarantine centres and Covid hospitals and facilities in the state.
Dushyant Mainali, counsel for one of the petitioners, said, “The court directed the state government to conduct the tests at the entry points of Nainital and Mussoorie as the cases are rising due to a huge influx of tourists from across the country.”
The court also asked the state government to submit by December 23 an affidavit regarding preparations for the Mahakumbh next year.
Government officials earlier told the court that the preparations would be complete by December 31.
The state government is mulling to allow pilgrims to attend the Mahakumbh in Haridwar only after undergoing a Covid-19 test.
In September, it had announced that devotees and visitors to the religious congregation will require a pass issued by the state government.
The mechanism to procure the pass will be set up soon. The state has also planned a 1,000 bed Covid care center with 493 doctors on duty. Over 12 crore pilgrims are expected to participate in the event.