GANGTOK: Sikkim had to come to terms with a resurgent coronavirus in 2021, as the Himalayan state clocked a disturbing cumulative positivity rate of over 10 per cent, stretching its healthcare apparatus and blowing a hole into its mainstay tourism sector.
The administration swung into action, reimposing tough containment and surveillance measures, and augmenting testing and inoculation as the second wave of the pandemic swept through the scenic landscapes.
Sikkim recorded a sombre five-fold increase in the positivity rate in the past nine months, while the death toll trebled from 136 at the end of March to 409 till December 30, officials said.
The state's Covid tally stood at 32,493.
Its back to the wall for the greater part of the year, the Sikkim government decided upon phase-wise easing of the curbs from October, but with strict health protocols in place.
Doors were reopened for tourists, too, from the first week of October, aiming at salvaging the state's battered economy to some extent.
Travellers lapped up the opportunity, as the border state saw a footfall of more than 22,000 domestic visitors and over 650 foreigners in the month, officials said.
In a shot in the arm for the sector, private carrier SpiceJet started daily direct flight services between Delhi and Pakyong Greenfield Airport in Sikkim, and also resumed flights from Kolkata, which were abruptly suspended in June 2019.
Schools, colleges and other educational institutions restarted operations and economic activities recommenced in a regulated manner from October.
On the political front, the year was largely uneventful, barring verbal spats between Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang and his predecessor Pawan Kumar Chamling on issues ranging from governance to corruption.
Tamang had recently announced that the CBI will probe corruption charges against the erstwhile Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) government and its supremo Chamling.
The chief minister has also declared that he will "expose" the corruption of the SDF government at a political meeting to be held on February 4, 2022.
During the course of the year, Sikkim saw the creation of two more districts - Pakyong (a sub-division in East Sikkim) and Soreng (a sub-division in West Sikkim), taking the total number of districts to six.
The state was not without its share of natural calamities in 2021, as frequent landslides on National Highway-10, the sole road link of Sikkim with other parts of the country, crippled normal life for days during the monsoon season.