Tourists to be tested for COVID-19 as Puducherry sees influx amid easing of restrictions

PUDUCHERRY: Tourists visiting Puducherry will now be brought under the radar of COVID-19 tests. Medical teams will be stationed on Beach Road for testing in view of the tourist influx, Lt Governor Kiran Bedi said on Monday

With COVID-19 restrictions being eased, tourists have started visiting Puducherry and crowds can be seen particularly on Beach Road on weekends. The Minister for Health and Tourism Malladi Krishna Rao on Sunday regretted that tourists coming to Puducherry are not wearing masks or following social distancing and other guidelines.

He said that while 65 to 70 percent of locals are wearing masks, 90 percent of the tourists are not wearing masks or maintaining social distancing which will be a threat to locals when they mingle with them. Police should ensure that people coming to the beach and shops are wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. Shops must also keep sanitizers at the entrance of their shops, he said.

The Lt Governor also directed the administration to strictly enforce safety measures in market areas, stating that Primary Health Centres have reported lapses in safety norms, with people not wearing masks in Saram, Sorapet and other markets as well as in the Sunday market, fish markets and other areas.

Besides, to regulate patients in PHCs, security personnel will be outsourced and deployed, said Bedi.