Even as the authorities have ordered a partial lockdown in Srinagar amid a surge in Covid cases, the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Administration on Sunday decided to open the tourism sector in the Union Territory (UT) in a phased manner from Tuesday.
UT Admn issues SOPs
All tourists to be tested for Covid.
Tourists coming by air to be allowed.
Pre-booking of hotels, taxis mandatory.
The decision followed the recent directions of Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) Girish Chandra Murmu for the reopening of the tourism sector. On July 6, government spokesperson Rohit Kansal had announced that detailed guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOPs) would be issued soon.
Simrandeep Singh, Member-Secretary, State Executive Committee, while issuing guidelines, said only tourists coming by air would be allowed to enter J&K in the first phase.“There will be partial opening of the tourism sector for external visitors from outside J&K, limited to tourists arriving by air only,” Singh said.
All incoming tourists must have confirmed hotel bookings for the duration of their stay, besides confirmed return tickets to any place outside J&K, either to their departure point or any other destination.
“There shall be compulsory RTPCR testing of all tourists on arrival. Taxis or transport facility have to be pre-booked through hotel or travel agency for which procedure will be put in place by the Tourism Department. Tourists above the age of 65 should avoid coming on tourism holiday,” he said in the guidelines.
The guidelines said it would be mandatory for tourists to pre-book their accommodation online in hotels, houseboats or guesthouses etc. “The proof of the same shall be checked on their arrival. Taxis or transport to the hotel shall also be pre-booked by the hotels or travel agencies,” it said, adding “Till the test result showed a negative result of Covid, a tourist will remain in the hotel where booking has been made and shall not be permitted to move out. A form in this regard shall have to be signed at the airport.”
It further 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.”(TNS)
