In a bid to stop the spread of infection, Himachal Pradesh has made it mandatory to carry a negative RT-PCR test report for people travelling from Punjab, Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. The report must not be older than 72 hours of entering the state. The new rule will come into effect after 16 April.
The resurgence in virus cases in several states has forced the Himachal state government to impose such a strict decision again. The announcement was made by the Himachal Chief Minister Jairam Thakur on Sunday. He took to Twitter and informed about the current situation and restrictions.
कोविड-19 की स्थिति से निपटने हेतु आज हमने वरिष्ठ अधिकारियों की बैठक बुलाई और आवश्यक निर्देश दिए।
देवभूमि हिमाचल आने के लिए हमारी सरकार ने पर्यटकों को अनुमति प्रदान की है लेकिन पर्यटकों को राज्य में सरकार द्वारा जारी की गई गाइडलाइंस का पालन करना होगा।
👇👇https://t.co/0yT9aXfJxq pic.twitter.com/EZg24t25cu— Jairam Thakur (@jairamthakurbjp) April 11, 2021
The announcement comes after CM Jairam Thakur said that there won’t be any restriction on tourists visiting Himachal Pradesh. He further said that more than 2 crore tourists visit the state during peak season, but businesses had suffered a lot during COVID-19 lockdown.
The CM further said that the tourism sector was picking up recently, but now suddenly another wave of the virus has hit and smashed the industry once again.
“For now, there is no restriction on tourists. We will monitor the situation,” he said. In view of the sudden surge in Coronavirus cases, all the schools, colleges and universities have shut down till 15 April.