Lahaul-Spiti of Himachal becomes Corona-free

Shimla: Lahaul-Spiti, a high altitude tribal district in Himachal Pradesh has become the first district of the hill state to turn Corona-free.

Deputy Commissioner Lahaul-Spiti Pankaj Rai said "It's quite heartening to declare Lahaul-Spiti Corona free as no new case has been reported during past 24 hours. There is also no active case of Covid-19 in the entire district."

The district had grabbed the headlines when sudden tourists influx following opening of the Rohtang Tunnel by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 3, led to sudden spike in the Covid-19 cases, and also some deaths.

As per data of the National Health Mission (NHM), the district has reported 12 deaths and there were a total of 1,258 cases whereas the district has a population of only 31,000, of which nearly 8,000 to 10,000 migrate to Kullu and other places during the snow season.

Till the world famous Rohtang Tunnel was commissioned, the entire population of Lahaul-Spiti used to get landlocked as there was no connectivity possible for at least six months due to closure of the Rohtang Pass (13059 feet).

The Rohtang tunnel, which became a biggest tourist attraction, has opened the new doors for the people of the district for their all weather connectivity with the rest of the world.

However this was the main factor leading to spurt in the Covid cases when thousands of tourists started arriving in the district.

Local panchayats took a collective decision to ban all tourism activities. The hoteliers and home stay promoters also decided to close down their operations to save the district from Corona.

The district administration also imposed restrictions under Section 144 to ban gatherings of more than four people in public spaces. The entry of tourists was also banned beyond the North portal of the Rohtang Tunnel.

There were cases when 27 to 41 persons were tested positive in a single village. The deputy Commissioner said, major factor was people not observing the social distancing norms, celebrated their festivals and attended large religious congregations in their villages.

A two-month long "snow Festival" is underway in Lahaul-Spiti these days to showcase unique traditions, customs, culture, lifestyles and food by the locals as part of their winter activities.