New Delhi: A day after a massive traffic jam was seen at the inter-state barriers at Parwanoo in Solan district, the Himachal Pradesh government issued a fresh advisory for people entering the state. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur made it clear that people visiting the state will have to register online and apply for a Covid e-pass. He also urged tourists to follow Covid-19 protocols in a bid to combat the spread of COVID-19. “I request tourists to adhere to these guidelines, wear the facemasks and maintain social distancing,” the chief minister said yesterday.
How to Apply For E-pass in Himachal Pradesh
The fresh travel guidelines come days after the Covid curfew in Himachal Pradesh was extended with several relaxations till further orders. As per the new norms, the buses within the state can ply with 50 per cent occupancy and there will be no requirement of RT-PCR negative tests for entering in the state.
Intrastate public transport is allowed with 50 per cent occupancy and the timing of opening of shops has been increased from 9 am to 5 pm. Earlier the shops were allowed to open from 9 am to 2 pm. However, the shops except those of essential commodities will remain closed on Saturdays and Sundays.
It was also decided that the offices will function with 50 per cent of staff from June 14. All the medical colleges, ayurvedic colleges and dental colleges will open from June 23. Pharmacy and nursing schools will open from June 28.
Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh recorded a COVID-19 positivity rate of 2.4 per cent from June 7 to 13. The hill state so far registered a positivity rate of 9.2 per cent cumulatively since the start of the pandemic, Special Health Secretary Nipun Jindal said.
He said a total of 3,451 COVID-19 cases were detected out of 1,42,357 tests during the same period. Chamba and Kinnaur districts registered a high positivity rate of 4.2 and 4 per cent, respectively, which was higher than the state’s average of 2.4 per cent last week, he added