Tourists continue to ignore govt warnings, now flout Covid 19 norms in Himachal’s Dharamshala
Despite repeated warnings from the Centre and Himachal Pradesh government, tourists continue to violate Covid-19 norms in the hill state as another video emerged from the Buddhist town of Dharamshala where people can be seen without masks or flouting social distancing.
In the video, tourists are seen taking selfies and sharing food in a crowded setup in the hill station, barely a day after the Himachal Pradesh government issued strict warnings to travelers to adhere to Covid-appropriate behaviour.
The video from Dharamshala surfaced just a couple of days after visuals from Manali showed markets in the hill town jam-packed with tourists, mostly from the Delhi NCR region.
“Manali has initiated Covid-19 awareness campaign for tourists. Those not wearing masks may be fined Rs 5,000 or will be put in jail for 8 days. We have recorded over 300 challans in the last 7-8 days and have collected Rs 3 lakh in fines,” Gurudev Sharma, SP Kullu, informed.
The central government on Friday said that tourists mingling without adhering to Covid protocols are “a serious cause of concern” as lowering the guard cannot be accepted at present.
“We cannot lower our guard. A new risk is being seen at markets and tourist spots where a gathering of crowds being seen, social distancing and mask protocol is not being followed. This is a serious cause of concern. People mingling without Covid protocols in tourist spots are a serious cause of concern. This has been highlighted in the Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Dr VK Paul, Member-Health in Niti Aayog, said.