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Manali, Kinnaur hotels to stay shut despite Himachal opening state to tourists amid rising Covid-19 cases
Hotels, home-stay units and tourism activities will stay suspended till the situation normalises, says Kinnaur hotel association head
SHIMLA: Hoteliers in the tribal district of Kinnaur have unanimously decided to keep all tourism operations closed till the Covid-19 situation improves.
Kinnaur reported its first Covid-19 case on June 3 when a Delhi-returned couple tested positive.
The border district’s count has since risen to 34. Though most of the cases in the district are Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel quarantined at their camps, residents fear the situation may aggravate in coming days as the government has opened the state’s borders for tourists.
“We have decided to keep tourism activities suspended till the situation normalises,” said Mohan Prakash Negi, president of the Kinnaur Hoteliers’ Association.
“All hotels and home-stay units in the district will remain closed and no bookings will be accepted,” he said.
Negi said that the panchayats in Kinnaur are opposed to opening tourism activities. “Since most of the hotels in the district are located in the rural areas, inviting tourists to the region may spell Covid trouble. We appeal to tourists to postpone their plans,” he added.
KULLU, MANALI HOTELS SHUT TILL SEPTEMBER
The Hoteliers Association of Kullu-Manali also decided to keep hotels closed till September.
The decision was taken at the association’s meeting in Manali on Tuesday in view of the rising Covid cases in the state.
Villagers adjoining Manali town requested the hoteliers to keep operations shut till the situation stabilises.
The Himachal Pradesh government opened the state’s borders for tourists on July 6, relaxing the Covid e-pass condition for inter-state movement after the Centre denied it permission to continue with the travel curbs.
According to the new guidelines, tourists having Covid-19 negative report not older than 72 hours and having five-day confirmed booking in hotels may enter the state.
The tourists seeking entry to the state will have to register themselves on the Covid portal at least 48 hours before entry. This will help in monitoring and contact tracing.
