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‘We're not afraid of Covid': Tourists in Haridwar ditch masks, social distancing
While medical experts say that the nation is not yet out of the woods, some defiant tourists believe otherwise.
The drop in the number of Covid-19 cases coupled with the scorching heat in northwestern Indian states have led to a major influx of tourists to Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh in search of some much-needed respite. It might be a welcome sign for the travel and tourism industry but it has come much to the displeasure of government officials, health experts as well as the top ministers of the government.
Pictures of tourists across tourist hotspots in both these states invited widespread concern at a time when the second wave is still going on. While medical experts say that the nation is not yet out of the woods, some defiant tourists believe otherwise.
News agency ANI on Friday shared visuals of people bathing in the river Ganga in Har Ki Pauri in Haridwar. The tourists said that they are not afraid of Covid-19 and were confident that they ‘arrived before the third wave’.
“We feel like we have come out of jail after 2 years. There is a huge crowd but we are not scared of Covid-19. We have come here before the third wave,” two young tourists were quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Haridwar city police official Abhay Singh said efforts are being made to bring awareness among people. “We are trying to make people aware and we had a meeting with hotel and vanshala unions. Everyone wants to see Har ki Pauri. After a certain limit, we are requesting remaining travellers to not go to ghat,” Singh was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
A video of a child in Dharamshala asking travellers to wear masks went viral but tourists were seen wilfully flouting Covid-19 preventative measures in all of these pictures and videos on the web. Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur expressed his concern about the tourists flouting Covid-19 norms.
“We're concerned about the number of tourists coming to the state. Tourists are welcome here but I appeal to them to follow Covid-19 norms,” Himachal CM Jai Ram Thakur said.
The health ministry and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) have termed these scenes from tourists spots as ‘frightening’ and said that such flouting of rules can lead to a third wave much faster than expected.
