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2,000 vehicles headed to Mussoorie sent back, Covid-19 protocol put in place
The Mussoorie district administration and Uttarakhand government has asked tourists to produce RT-PCR report, and limited timings for Kempty Fall. The tourists understand the risk, but say if Covid protocols are followed, there shouldn't be any problem.
In a bid to prevent overcrowding amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, the police in Uttarakhand sent back 2,000 vehicles that were on their way to Mussoorie, Hindustan Times' sister publication Live Hindustan reported. This was done as part of a special drive where the police put up barricades on the main Dehradun-Mussoorie road, according to Live Hindustan.
The police said the figure of 2,000 vehicles is till 5pm on Saturday.
Tourists are arriving in large numbers over the past few days at major tourists spots like Mussoorie, Kempty Fall, Nainital, Haridwar and Rishikesh in Uttarakhand due to heatwave in the plains and dip in the number of Covid-19 cases. Several videos have gone viral in which the visitors are seen violating Covid norms by not wearing masks and refusing to maintain social distancing.
The Uttarakhand government has ordered all tourists to strictly adhere to Covid protocol, saying such violations are a "matter of concern".
The tourists have been asked to produce a negative Covid-19 test report not older than 72 hours. Apart from this, the administration is playing recorded messages asking people to adopt Covid appropriate behaviour in Mussoorie.
Mussoorie's Circle Officer Narendra Pant said that those who are found violating norms are being fined.
The main Mussoorie road saw a three-kilometre-long traffic jam as hundreds of people from nearby cities decided to spend time in the hill station.
"We came here to enjoy ourselves with family but due to heavy traffic, we have wasted a lot of time here in the car," a tourist was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
There are concerns about a third wave of the infection, but the tourists say they are taking all the precautions. "Yes it is risky. But if you are following the precautions then it is okay," another tourist told ANI.
"We are all vaccinated and are taking care of the Covid protocols, so I don't think there should be a problem," said Tanishq, a visitor from Delhi.
According to authorities in Mussorrie, there has been a decline of 50 per cent in tourist inflow due to the restrictions this weekend in comparison to the last.
The district administration has also issued guidelines to popular spots like Kempty Fall, after a video of maskless tourists thronging the place went viral on social media.
The administration has put a time limit of 30 minutes for people to stay in the fall.
