Unlock 2.0: Himachal Pradesh relaxes tourists ban; opens in phases

Himachal Pradesh: Himachal Pradesh has allowed entry of tourists almost after three-and-a-half-months but with proper guidelines that include the COVID-19 test report showing negative and prior hotel booking of at least five days. The nation has been under complete lockdown since March with relaxations coming in from June.

Many states in India have started to reopen their borders, after Unlock 2.0. Earlier in the week, Goa opened gates for tourists, followed by Uttrakhand and now it’s Himachal Pradesh that is relaxing the tourism ban. But tourists need to follow five main rules to enjoy the beauty of this beautiful state. Locally known as Land of Gods, Himachal Pradesh is popular because of some popular Hindu temples.

The state is considered to be an ideal vacation destination for those who want to escape the summer heat. Especially, for North Indians, who do not leave the opportunity to pack their bags and head to the mountains for a quick weekend getaway and to experience the winter chill. The state is highly dependent on tourism, apart from horticulture and hydroelectric power. However, with the increasing number of COVID-19 positive cases, hoteliers were reluctant to open hotels. But looks like the revival on the crushed economy is the need of the hour.

Rules you must follow before heading to Himachal:

1. All interstate movement will be monitored through registration in the COVID e-pass software (covid19epass.hp.gov.in)
2. Tourists need to have a valid booking at a hotel for a minimum of 5 days
3. All will need to be tested for COVID-19 by ICMR accredited laboratory not earlier than 72 hours at the time of entry.
4. Those who have been tested negative will be exempted from the requirement of quarantine
5. Workers or labourers coming to farms, orchards and projects can head directly to their worksites
6. Employers will need to be registered.

The Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh Jai Ram Thakur said in a statement, “We have taken up the matter to MHA that registrations would be mandatory and we would keep a record if someone is tested positive and this record will help in contact tracing. As far as tourism is concerned, the tourists will have to come minimum for five to seven days and SOPs would be issued by Monday(July 6).”

The number of people infected with COVID-19 in Himachal Pradesh is comparatively low as compared to other states like Delhi, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Gujarat. As on Sunday(July 5), there were a total of 1,063 cases, of which 724 have recovered and 315 were active.