Following a spike in COVID-19 cases in the Nilgiris over the last few days, the Nilgiris District Collector, J. Innocent Divya, promised action against tourist resorts and home stays operating illegally.
She reiterated that tourism was currently banned in the district.
Ms. Divya told media persons that since the process of obtaining e-passes was eased, an average of 2,000 to 2,500 people were entering the district every day. “The ease in travel restrictions is not for tourists to visit. We have teams who will be checking whether resorts are operating illegally and will close them down if any are found to be in violation of the rules,” said the Collector.
People having any symptoms associated with COVID-19 had been urged to visit their nearest healthcare facility.
“Till now, the Health Department has been pro-actively testing people across the Nilgiris. We now urge anyone who has symptoms consistent with COVID-19 to immediately get tested so that they can get effective treatment,” she said.
“Five of the eight deaths in the district were caused by people whose condition deteriorated over the course of a few days as they did not seek treatment at the early stages of infection,” said Ms. Divya.
The Collector said that more than 55,000 swab samples were collected in the Nilgiris, and 83 places were designated as containment zones, while 500 additional beds are ready to house and treat asymptomatic COVID-19 patients.
