A day after Srinagar was again put on a partial lockdown due to surge in COVID-19 cases, Jammu and Kashmir administration announced that they are opening the Union Territory for the tourists from July 14, albeit only for those coming in through flight. That means, road entry points will remain closed. The administration has formulated a set of guidelines for tourists.
The authorities maintained that tourism will be limited to those travelling by air. The officials have also necessitated RT-PCR (real-time polymerase chain reaction) testing for tourists. According to the order, all incoming tourists must have confirmed online hotel bookings for the duration of their stay. All tourists must have confirmed return air tickets. The proof of the same shall be checked on arrival. Elderly persons above the age of 65 have been asked to avoid travel. The order said that taxis or transport facilities also need to be pre-booked via the hotel, for which the J&K Tourism Department will give detail procedures on its website.
The government order said: “In view of the Covid-19 related measures, it is felt imperative to put in place a protocol to be followed by the tourists as well as the persons/authorities engaged in the hospitality sector.” Only those tourists who test negative shall be permitted to leave for the hotel where the booking has been made. Travel agents, hotels, houseboats and guesthouses shall provide pick-up facility from the airport for their tourist guests. Prescribed social distancing norms shall be followed everywhere during transportation. The hotels, houseboats and guest houses or the travel agents will arrange for transport of the tourists to the airport for their departure from J&K, according to the guidelines.
Tourists who test negative from the point of their departure, will not be required to remain isolated in their hotels. However, RTPCR testing shall still be done. It added, “Test results will normally arrive within 24 hours except in special circumstances. The hotel management shall be required to ensure compliance with the protocol.” Tourists testing positive will be sent to a medical facility as per protocol. The government has asked all tourists to have the Aarogya Setu app installed on their phones and the same shall be checked for ‘safe’ status at the time of arrival. A form to this effect shall have to be signed at the airport.
The decision followed the recent directions of Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu for the reopening of the tourism sector. On July 6, the government spokesperson Rohit Kansal had announced that the government would soon issue detailed guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Simrandeep Singh, Member-Secretary of State Executive Committee while issuing guidelines said that only tourists coming by air would be permitted to enter J&K in the first phase.
In first phase of opening tourism activities Baseer Ahmad Khan, Advisor to the Lieutenant Governor, also informed that all the public parks and gardens shall reopen from Wednesday. He also said that to visit these places tourists will have to follow the COVID-19 safety measures, such as wearing masks, maintaining social distancing, and using sanitisers.