With the rise of Coronavirus cases in the national capital, neighbouring states are updating their travel rules to keep the import of new cases at bay. On that note, Uttarakhand has come up with new mandatory guidelines that you need to keep in mind before making any travel plans from Delhi. By Kumar Shree
Uttarakhand state government has made it mandatory for those arriving from Delhi to undergo a COVID-19 test at Dehradun’s Jolly Grant airport. Not just that, the Dehradun Health Department has also ordered a mandatory test for all travellers coming from Delhi, regardless of the transportation medium; which means screening will happen both at the Dehradun railway station as well at Asharodi check post.
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There are essentially two reasons that have driven these new set of travel rules for Uttarakhand. Firstly, upon conducting a random sampling of round 1,000 people at the Doon border last week, 29 people were found positive, out of which 25 were from Delhi NCR. The second reason is preparedness for New Year, which qualifies as a peak tourism season for the state.
As reported by DNA, Arun Mohan Joshi, Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Dehradun said, “Strict instructions are given to the policemen posted on the border check posts for proper checking and keeping the full details of people coming from other states to Uttarakhand.”
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As per media reports, Dr RK Dixit, District Surveillance Officer, Dehradun further informed that the state has noted an increase in the number of people coming from Delhi, especially in the last 15 days, mostly for weddings and short vacations. And, since New Years is just around the corner, the numbers are expected to increase. Therefore, it is important to test tourists before they enter the state. While these tests at the borders are free as of now, they are likely to become chargeable in the future.
In fact, Nainital is also planning to start conducting COVID-19 tests at its borders. However, the decision is still pending at the district administration level.
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