MUSSOORIE: After rumours of lockdown in Mussoorie led to a dip in the tourist influx in the Queen of Hills, political leaders, hoteliers and residents took to social media on Wednesday to clarify that there was no lockdown in the hill town.
Mussoorie MLA and cabinet minister Ganesh Joshi, in a video message, said, “I want to specify that no lockdown has been imposed in Mussoorie. People must not believe the rumours. Tourists are welcome to visit the town. All tourist places — including Kempty Falls, Buranskhanda, Sir George Everest House — are open,” Joshi said.
Anuj Gupta, chairman of Mussoorie municipal council, in a facebook post, wrote that Mussoorie is safe and that there is no lockdown. “There are no Covid-19 cases in Mussoorie, the town is safe and there is no lockdown. Please should not pay heed to baseless rumours. We welcome all tourists to visit the town without any fear or risk of Covid-19,” Gupta wrote.
Several hoteliers, Mussoorie Traders’ Association and residents also took to social media. Several posts were uploaded using hashtags #NolockdowninMussorie, #Mussoorieissafe and #Mussoorieisopen on Wednesday evening.
It must be mentioned that rumours of lockdown in St. George’s College and nearby Barlowganj locality spread to various parts of the country through some news portals and social media on Sunday. Although the district administration clarified that only a micro containment zone had been created within the school campus. However, a number of tourists have cancelled their bookings in Mussoorie hotels since Sunday.
“We have recorded around 10-20% cancellations of hotel bookings since Sunday. Future bookings and enquiries have also dried up,” said Sandeep Sahni, president of Hotels and Restaurant Association of Uttarakhand.

 

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