Tourist rush: Chamba administration starts Covid awareness drive

CHAMBA: Aiming to prevent the spread of Covid-19, the Chamba administration has begun an awareness drive to sensitize both the tourists and locals especially in wake of a huge rush of tourists heading to the hill destinations of the district from the plains of Punjab.
Talking to TOI, Chamba deputy commissioner D C Rana said, “From Wednesday, we began an awareness drive across the district especially in the tourist places, including Dalhousie, Khajjiar, Chamba city, where the number of tourists is increasing.”
Asked whether the number of Covid-19 cases had increased post opening up of borders for tourists from other places, the deputy commissioner said, “We are still in the second wave of Covid-19. Though the number of cases has gone down in Chamba, but the pandemic is not over yet.” He said tourists, as well as locals, were advised to follow the Covid-appropriate behaviour.
Sources, however, said due to the Covid incubation period, it could take some time for the symptoms to appear among the infected persons.
Chamba chief medical officer Dr Kapil Sharma said presently there were around 200 positive cases in Chamba with a majority of cases in the interior areas of the district. He said there had not been an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in Chamba post opening of the border by the state but both the tourists as well as locals had to follow the Covid-appropriate behaviour. He said they have been continuously carrying out testing in tourists places, including Dalhousie, Banikhet and Khajjiar.