WEIGHING CAUTION WITH LIVELIHOODS

Several state governments are caught in a ‘catch-22’ situations after the Central Government’s announcement of Unlock-2 phase. Among them are some smaller states

like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Goa. Economies of these states were largely dependent upon the tourism sector and complete closure of the entire hospitality sector had hit the governments and the locals really hard.

While international flights are still banned until the end of this month, states have been given the liberty to make their own decisions. And this is where the problem

lies. Relatively, Coronavirus have had limited impact on these three states compared to other states, probably simply because tourists were not allowed. However, opening the hospitality sector now may see a sudden spike in reported COVID-19 cases in these states, and keeping the sector under extended lockdown means a huge loss of revenues to the governments. Locals in the two hill states normally stock up all their essentials before the arrival of winter and beginning of snowfall. A continued lockdown may mean a real harsh winter for them. As for Goa, it had started becoming popular as a tourist destination even during monsoon, though the actual tourist season starts there from October.

Himachal Pradesh government has already put in place some strict rules for domestic tourists like they must have confirmed booking at a hotel for a minimum of five days and must carry along a certificate by an authorised

lab that they have been tested and found negative for Coronavirus. The certificate cannot be older than three days, if they wish to avoid being quarantined. Goa is in the process of opening up 250 hotels with similar restrictions. Since the Government cannot be everywhere, one can only hope that those dealing with tourists directly following the prescribed rules to ensure that their laxity or greed and do not end up becoming new hotspots of Coronavirus.

.... MUKESH KUMAR VYAS, RAJASTHAN via email