Traffic Jam Caused By Visitors After Himachal Opens Is Proof We Learnt Nothing From Last Year

The lockdowns have been tough, be it in 2020 or 2021. The tough restrictions imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19 have not spared anyone, but the travel and tourism sector which entirely depends on people being able to move around has been among the worst hit.

And it has had a devastating impact on those whose livelihoods depend on the industry and the economies of such states.

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So it should not come as a surprise that tourism dependent states are eager to open up.

Himachal's new guidelines

In 2021, Himachal Pradesh, the state known for hill stations like Kullu-Manali, Shimla, Dalhousie, etc was the first to open up.

While the state did not explicitly say that tourists are welcome, on Friday, Himachal Pradesh lifted Section 144 in the state and tweaked its COVID-19 guidelines, and said that a negative RT-PCR test is no longer required to cross the state borders. Anyone with an e-pass is now allowed to enter the state.

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And the result of this change was evident in the next few days, which was a weekend.

Thousands of cars were seen lining up at Parwanoo, the Solan district¡¯s entry point, mostly tourists from neighbouring states.

At least 5000 cars entered Shimla

According to Mohit Chawla, Superintendent of Police, Shimla, at least 5,000 vehicles entered Shimla from the Shoghi barrier on Saturday and Sunday.

"There is a huge influx of tourists after the state government relaxed COVID guidelines. We anticipated the increase in the tourist movement during the weekend, but what is heartening to note is that people are following COVID protocols," he said.

The state is seeing an influx of visitors at a time when the number of COVID-19 cases in Himachal is on a downward slide.

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But there is a fear that with the majority of the population still not vaccinated, the state may be rushing to open up.

Rush to open up in 2020 too

In 2020 too, Himachal Pradesh was one of the first states to open up for tourism after the lockdown restrictions were eased.

Other tourism-driven economies like Goa, Uttarakhand, Kerala also followed suit.

But once the number of COVID-19 cases started spiraling out of control, these states were late to act.

Goa in particular was badly hit. The beach state which was largely spared during the first wave of COVID-19 was partying like there is no tomorrow, especially during the Diwali Weeknd and Christmas-New Year. Though social distancing norms were in place, it was hardly followed and there was no way to enforce them among the visitors.

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In March, by the time when Goa realized what hit them it was too late. The state had to go into prolonged lockdowns, and at one point had a test positivity rate of over 50 per cent.

Goa takes a cautious approach

Given what the state had to go through, Goa, while is keen to open up for tourists, is taking a more cautious approach.

With a coupe of months left for the tourism season to start, state Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar has said that such activities should resume there only after the entire population of the coastal state is completely vaccinated against COVID-19.

"We can't keep Goa's tourism industry shut forever, as it is an important backbone of our state's economy," Ajgaonkar said.

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The tourism industry can resume all its activities once the entire population of the state is "fully vaccinated" with both doses of the vaccines, he said.

According to the minister only tourists who are "fully vaccinated" should be allowed to enter the state.

Fully vaccinated zones in Kerala

Another state, Kerala too is taking a similar approach. Monsoon, one of Kerala's busiest tourist seasons underway, that state is still reeling under COVID-19.

The state tourism sector had incurred losses to the tune of Rs 33,675 crore due to the COVID-19 situation.

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All popular holiday destinations in Kerala may soon be declared as complete "vaccinated zones" as the state government is mulling to provide the COVID-19 jab to everyone in the tourism sector.

"We are mulling to make famous tourist destinations in the state 100 per cent vaccinated zones by July 15 with the support of the health department," Tourism minister P A Mohammed Riyas said.