DEHRADUN: After pictures of tourists flocking to Mussoorie, Nainital and other places in Uttarakhand and flouting Covid-19 safety norms went viral on social media, raising concerns among authorities amid a third wave scare, the state government on Saturday issued an order restricting occupancy of hotels to only 50 per cent of their capacity.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said hotels in Dehradun, Nainital and other tourist places will now operate with a 50 per cent cap on occupancy to their full limit. “We are making efforts and will follow guidelines to contain the spread of the virus,” he said.
Besides, officials of Dehradun and Nainital district administrations tightened the belt and made negative RT-PCR test report mandatory for those entering there from outside the state. Preeti Priyadarshini, senior superintendent of police, Nainital district, said: “The rules are laid down to ensure that Covid-19 safety norms are not violated. We urge people to follow the rules and adhere to the guidelines.”
The strict rules are being implemented due to thousands of tourists flocking to the hills, threatening to infect others. Pictures and videos of tourists from the Mall Road in Nainital and Kempty Falls in Mussoorie had gone viral on Twitter and Facebook.
Last week, authorities had to stop at least 5,000 tourists from entering Nainital due to the unavailability of parking spaces and for failing to produce Covid-19 negative reports.According to estimates of the state tourism department and police, more than 10,000 people visited Nainital and Mussoorie last weekend — the two most famous hill towns in the state.