The Dindigul district administration has stepped up vigil in the city and at Palani and Kodaikanal, said Collector M. Vijayalakshmi here on Friday.
Presiding over a review meeting on the measures taken by the health and municipal administration officials, she said that as per the guidelines and SOP laid out by the State government, the public have to adhere to them.
Any violation or negligence would cause hardships for both the official machinery and the people, she said and added that imposing fines or sealing shops/establishments was only in public interest.
Kodaikanal, which has been experiencing excellent weather over the last one week, with a steady breeze and dip in the temperature during evenings, did not see much crowd.
Except for local tourists, people from other States have not made a beeline for the hill station as they were unsure about the restrictions placed by the government.
Health department officials said on Thursday, that six fresh cases of COVID-19 were reported and following that officials held discussions on Friday on the methods to tackle the virus.
A hotelier said that problem arose due to the floating population. Three days ago, a family of eight from Rameswaram had come here and stayed in a lodge. Later, they tested positive and were immediately packed off to their homes, he claimed.
A municipal official in Kodaikanal said that local residents and shopkeepers have been sensitized to wearing face masks. Resorts have also been told to testing the body temperature of guests on arrival through thermal scanners.
A staff at the Silver Cascade Falls check post said that vehicles with other State registration were permitted only after COVID-19 screening. “We are following the SOP strictly,” he asserted.
The NGOs in the hill station however, said that they would be happy if the official machinery imposed curfew for about 15 days every year so that the pollution levels in the hill station would be kept under reasonable measures.
Meanwhile, a member of the Hotel and Tourist Cab Operators Association here said that till Friday, the room reservations made in resorts/hotels have not been cancelled.
