After Mussoorie's Kempty falls, pictures have surfaced of tourists flouting COVID-appropriate behaviour and social distancing norms in Haridwar's Har ki Pauri Ghat. Amid an imminent third wave of the pandemic, people say they are not scared of the COVID-19.
While medical experts say that the nation is not yet out of the woods, some defiant tourists believe otherwise. "We feel like we have come out of jail after two years. There is a huge crowd. We are not scared of COVID-19. We have come here before the third wave," ANI quoted a tourist.
Haridwar city police official Abhay Singh said efforts are being made to bring awareness among people. The Dehradun district administration also announced strict measures to curb the spread of coronavirus infection in the hill station.
Earlier, viral videos showing a large number of tourists bathing at Kempty falls without wearing masks or maintaining social distancing norms in Mussoorie circulated online, drawing public ire.
Markets in Nainital and Mussoorie can now remain open on Sundays but will remain shut on Tuesdays. There is a sudden influx of tourists to Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh amid soaring temperatures and a fall in COVID-19 cases.
The health ministry and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) have termed these scenes from tourists spots as 'frightening' and said that such flouting of rules can lead to a third wave much faster than expected.
Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami ordered 50% occupancy capping in hotels in the state's popular tourist destinations Nainital and Dehradun. Challans are being issued to those who aren’t wearing masks.