SELF-QUARANTINE FOR A WEEK: CM TO HP RESIDENTS COMING FROM 7 STATES

Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur on Wednesday asked people coming from states with heavy caseloads to self-quarantine for a week.

“At present, Himachal is not stopping anyone from outside the state from entering,” chief minister Jai Ram Thakur said on the sidelines of a function organized at Chaura Maidan to mark the 130th birth anniversary of Bhim Rao Ambedkar, the father of the constitution.

“The Covid situation in the country is such that people coming from seven states with heavy caseloads will have to isolate themselves at home for seven days before going out to work,” he said. The state government had earlier made it mandatory for people coming from the heavy caseload states — Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala , Delhi, Punjab and Rajasthan —to bring their negative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) reports after April 16. “The situation has begun to deteriorate in the other states of the country. Shortly, we will be compelled to impose other restrictions in Himachal too,” he said.

In the wake of increase in infections, the government has asked district health authorities to increase its capacity to accommodate patients. “The government will ensure that economic activity in the state is not halted as the tourism industry in Himachal has already borne heavy losses,” the CM said.