Taj hotel in Rishikesh closed for 3 days after 76 people test Covid-19 positive

“The hotel was sanitised and has been closed as a precautionary measure,” senior superintendent of police Tripti Bhatt was quoted as saying by ANI.

A five-star hotel in Uttarakhand’s Rishikesh was closed for three days by the district administration after 76 people tested positive for coronavirus disease (Covid-19), news agency ANI reported on Monday quoting a senior police official. “The hotel was sanitised and has been closed as a precautionary measure,” senior superintendent of police Tripti Bhatt was quoted as saying by ANI.

A health worker collect swab sample from a man for Covid-19 testing.(Santosh Kumar/ Hindustan Times)

Last Thursday, 16 employees of the same Taj Rishikesh Resort and Spa tested positive for Covid-19 after which the hotel was closed for 48 hours, fully sanitised and the entire staff was tested for the viral infection.

The fresh cases come at a time when the state government is preparing for the Kumbh scheduled to begin on April 1, in which thousands of devotees from across the country participate. In view of the religious gathering, the Uttarakhand government made it mandatory for devotees to carry a negative RT-PCR test report which is not older than 72 hours or a coronavirus vaccination certificate with them. Uttarakhand has also increased thermal screening on borders for people who are entering the state.

Uttarakhand has been witnessing a surge in Covid-19 cases and the state recorded its highest single-day spike in coronavirus infections with 366 fresh cases on Sunday. With this, the cumulative cases in the state stood at 99,881, and the active infections reached 1,600 in the Himalayan state. Although, the state has not reported any Covid-19 in the past 24 hours and the death toll in the state stood at 1,709. Amid the spike in Covid-19 cases in Dehradun, the administration on Monday declared two areas as containment zones—the Nehru Colony area of Dehradun city and the Gumaniwala area of Rishikesh.