The Uttarakhand government on Friday banned the entry of all new tourists, both domestic and foreign, to the state, a day after neighbouring Himachal Pradesh government issued a similar order in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic outbreak in the country. Sikkim and Nagaland are among the other three states to have banned the entry of tourists.
JC Pandey, public relations officer for Uttarakhand health department said that entry of new tourists has been banned in the state.
“New tourists will not be allowed in the state from today till further orders. Those who are already staying in the state have not been asked to vacate as of now,” said Pandey.
The decision comes after officials from the health department and tourism department met on Friday morning to discuss measures to tackle the coronavirus outbreak.
As elderly and children are believed to be more vulnerable the contagion, the state government also appealed to those above 65 years of age and children below 10 years to stay indoors till March 31 to curb the spread of coronavirus infection.
So far, three cases of Coronavirus have been confirmed in the state and 82 people have tested negative.
All three cases are from a group of 62 trainee Indian Forest Service officers who recently returned from an international educational tour from Finland, Russia and Spain.
After two more cases were confirmed on Thursday late night, the government ordered a complete lockdown of the campus of Forest Research Institute with immediate effect till further orders.
The health department has also sent 114 samples including those of close contacts of the three positive cases for testing, results of 29 are awaited.
Uttarakhand government has also increased the number of isolation beds from 337 to 474.
Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand Transport Corporation has suspended to and fro movement of buses to Nepal and other destinations in Punjab and Kashmir among others.
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