Coronavirus: After Italian couple found positive, state heightens screening process

In Udaipur, medical teams fanned out into seven hotels where 10 or more foreign tourists are staying.
Medics screen tourists  at a hotel in Bikaner on Sunday. (Photo | PTI)
Medics screen tourists at a hotel in Bikaner on Sunday. (Photo | PTI)

JAIPUR: In Rajasthan, coronavirus scare has led to intensive screening with the government staff on full alert. Ever since an Italian couple was found positive in Jaipur last week, the screening of tourists in hotels has been intensified.

In Udaipur, medical teams fanned out into seven hotels where 10 or more foreign tourists are staying. Till now, tourists were being only screened at airports but now the same has been stepped up at hotels.

Given the intensive screening, some tourists have lodged complaints with their embassies and the issue has reached the Union Tourism Ministry.

The ministry has issued guidelines to the state to ensure that the scare does not lead to any trouble for the foreign tourists.

Tourism Secretary at the Centre Yogendra Tripathi has written to the Rajasthan Chief Secretary DB Gupta that the special guidelines have already been framed on this issue of screening tourists.

According to the Jaipur Hoteliers Association, their business has been severely hit and witnessed a decline by nearly 30%. Kuldeep Singh, president, Hotel and Restaurant Association of Rajasthan said, “We are following the guidelines. However, we have requested the government to stop visits by tourists from countries which have reported a large number of coronavirus cases so that the number of local cases don’t rise.”

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