COVID-19 negative report now mandatory for tourists visiting Mussoorie: Uttarakhand government as tourists throng hill town

New Delhi: The Dehradun district administration on Saturday (July 10, 2021) made it mandatory for people visiting Mussoorie to bring negative RT-PCR report. The decision comes as tourists continue to throng places in Uttarakhand and many reports of COVID-19 protocol violations have come to light. 

“Registration at Dehradun Smart City portal, proof of hotel booking & negative COVID-19 report not more than 72 hours old is necessary to visit Mussoorie,” said Dehradun District Magistrate Dr. Ashish Kumar Srivastava.

Uttarakhand | Registration at Dehradun Smart City portal, proof of hotel booking & negative #COVID19 report not more than 72 hours old is necessary to visit Mussoorie: Dehradun District Magistrate Dr. Ashish Kumar Srivastava

— ANI (@ANI) July 10, 2021

According to the local authorities' guidelines, the tourists who wish to visit Mussoorie will have to make an online booking, after getting the negative RT-PCR report. Those not having negative RT-PCR report won't be allowed entry beyond Kolhukhet. 

Earlier, on Friday the Uttarakhand government had decided to restrict visitors at the falls after a video showing a large number of tourists at Mussoorie’s Kempty falls, without wearing masks or maintaining social distancing norms, went viral on social media platforms. 

"Now only 50 tourists are allowed at Kempty Falls (waterfall) in Mussorie; can't stay at the spot beyond half an hour. A check-post to be set up to monitor the tourists," said Iva Ashish Srivastava, Tehri Garhwal District Magistrate.

Srivastava also said that he has asked Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Dhanaulti to set up a check post to monitor the tourists coming to Kempty.

Meanwhile, the Union Health Ministry on Friday cautioned that the second wave of COVID-19 is not over yet. Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, said, "The country is still dealing with the second wave and we need to introspect if we can afford the misplaced belief that COVID-19 is over."