Beaches in Kozhikode district will be thrown open to tourists from Thursday in line with the COVID-19 protocol.
District Collector Seeram Sambasiva Rao permitted admission of the public into the beaches after a gap of eight months on condition that all necessary precautions to prevent the spread of the pandemic would be taken by the implementing authorities.
Visitors will be allowed into the beaches after checking body temperature and proper hand sanitisation. They should wear masks, follow physical distancing norms, and use sanitisers at regular intervals.
The ‘Do’s and Dont’s’ associated with the COVID-19 protocol will be exhibited on beaches. Domestic tourists are to register with the COVID-19 Jagratha portal as well.
Besides prompting the public to follow the protocol, the authorities have been advised to sanitise walkways, hand-rails, seating arrangements, and restrooms at definite intervals every day. Officials on duty on beaches can seek the help of the tourism police, if needed. They should make sure that the contact details of every visitor are recorded. Those with COVID-19 symptoms will be denied entry.
The district administration had stayed away from opening beaches, citing difficulty in implementing the COVID-19 protocol. In the meantime, visitors had turned up, expecting that beaches had been reopened. Police personnel had a tough time stopping the public from entering beaches in the past one week and had to use force at times.
Besides the Kozhikode South beach, Kappad beach (which won the Blue Flag certification recently), and sand banks at Vadakara, beaches at Chaliyam and Beypore are quite popular among domestic tourists.
