New Delhi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday expressed concern over people crowding at hill stations and markets without wearing masks or observing social distancing norms, as he urged all to guard against complacency to prevent a third wave of the coronavirus spread.
He asked the people to shun the argument that they "want to enjoy before the third wave of coronavirus" and stressed that there should be no compromise in following Covid protocols. "It is true that tourism, trade and business have been greatly affected due to the coronavirus. But today, I will say with great emphasis that having huge crowds in hill stations, markets without masks and not following Covid protocols is a matter of concern and is not right," Modi said during an interaction with chief ministers of eight North-Eastern states through video conferencing.
The third wave can be prevented by remaining cautious and strictly following all protocols, he said and emphasised that the vaccination drive needs to be continuously ramped.
Modi said the Covid situation was worrisome in some districts of the Northeastern region and urged the chief ministers to stay alert and act fast to check the further spread of the virus.
Uttarakhand govt orders DMs to control tourists
Dehradun: After a large number of tourists flocked to Uttarakhand, the state government ordered District Magistrate to control the weekend crowd at tourist places.
According to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued by Chief Secretary Sukhbir Singh Sandhu on Monday, the district administration has been given the responsibility to control the weekend crowd in all the tourist places of the state.
The District Magistrate will also ensure that tourists in tourist places compulsorily follow the rules of physical distance, wearing masks and sanitizing hands.
"If the situation worsens in the tourist places of Uttarakhand now, then the District Magistrate will be responsible. They have been authorized to take the decisions regarding the crowds on weekends," the guidelines read.
"According to the capacity of these tourist places for crowd control and the geographical conditions, what percentage of tourists can be allowed to move or visit or else the District Magistrate concerned will be free to decide whether to impose any restrictions," it reads.
