Unlock 5.0: Uttarakhand relaxes visitor norms; no restriction on number of visitors.
As the country enters Unlock 4.0, Uttarakhand government has relaxed a few norms for visitors. The state has tourism as one of its core industries, and has suffered massive losses as tourism was shut down owing to COVID-19 outbreak. Now, as the country is opening up and has entered Unlock 4.0, the state government has taken note of the same and is keen to attract tourists once again.
One of the major curbs that will no longer be in place for those intending to visit Uttarakhand is the cap of 2000 visitors a day; the state was previously allowing only 200o visitors a day from outside the state and e-permits were also required for the same. The decision has been taken after demands from various stakeholders in the industry. The pandemic and the lockdown to deal with the steam took a massive hit on religious tourism in the state, another major source of revenue considering that Uttarakhand is also home to the famous Char Dhams.
State Cabinet Minister Madan Kaushik clarified on the new guidelines in place, “The visitors have to register themselves on a state government smart city portal smartcitydehradun.uk.gov.in and produce Covid negative report ranging in the last 72-hours.” source Times Travel.
In line with the Centre’s Unlock 5.0 guidelines, the Uttarakhand government has issued fresh Unlock 5.0 guidelines. The state has permitted the opening of cinema halls and theatres with up to 50 percent of their seating capacity in areas outside the containment zones with effect from October 15.
Entertainment parks and similar places will also be permitted to open from October 15 for which the standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by Union health ministry shall be strictly adhered to, the latest guidelines issued by the state government late said.
The current ceiling of 100 people gathering for social, academic, sports, entertainment, cultural, religious and political functions can be removed outside containment zones after October 15, it said. However, not more than 200 people will be allowed to gather in closed spaces with a maximum of 50 percent of the hall capacity.
