Coronavirus: Tourists Banned in Sikkim's Tourism Hotspots Lachen & Lachung

Gangtok, March 13, 2020:

Local administrations at Lachen and Lachung — two of the favourite destinations in North Sikkim district — have barred entry of tourists and labourers from outside the state in view of the threat posed by the deadly pandemic coronavirus.

The decisions were taken by Dzumsas, which is a traditional system of local self-governance recognized by the Sikkimese government.

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“The Lachung Dzomsa passed a resolution on March 12 to stop tourists and workers from other states from entering Lachung till April 15,” said Yanku Tashi Lachungpa, one of the pipons or the headmen of the Lachung Dzumsa, weighing in on the matter.

The Dzumsa has also requested the North Sikkim district administration not to issue work permits to outsiders till April 15.

“We have taken this decision after consulting the people. This is a preventive measure for a limited period to ensure the safety of our people,” said Yangkuk Tshering Lachungpa, another pipon of the Lachung Dzumsa.

The neighbouring Lachen Dzumsa has also come up with a similar decision.

A release issued by Kunthup D. Lachenpa, the pipon, on Thursday said the Dzumsa, along with the local hotel association and some other stakeholders, had decided “to stop the entry of tourists from other states of the country to Lachen with immediate effect”. It may be mentioned here that the entry ban will be in place till further notice.

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The Sikkim government has already barred the entry of foreign tourists to the state to tackle the pathogen. All these restrictions are certain to have an impact on tourism.

“It is obvious the coronavirus will have a massive impact on tourism this year. However, the decisions of the state government and the Dzumsas are understandable. Public health should always come first,” said a tour operator.

The Sikkim government also decided to postpone the Red Panda Tourism Carnival, the cultural extravaganza hosted annually to promote the state's rich and vibrant .

The fest was to be held in the middle of April at Soreng-Chakung in West Sikkim. Aditya Tamang, the local MLA, said the event had been postponed due to fears over the coronavirus. “The fest would be held after the virus infection subsides,” informed a source.

Meanwhile, in view of the global outbreak of the coronavirus, the Sikkim Government has issued an alert in the State and "banned" Inner Line Permit (ILP) to tourists from March 5 onwards.

This has badly affected the tourism industry, with losses reported to be in crores. All the travel desks are empty and tourists are cancelling their planned trips to Sikkim as it shares a border with China where the virus originated. Meanwhile, Nathula which connects Indian and China has been closed down and people are not being allowed to cross the border.

A spike in novel coronavirus in India has prompted concerns that the world’s second-most populous country could face its own outbreak of the deadly virus, which to date has infected more than 1 lakh people and killed at least 3,283 worldwide. Yesterday, the first death from the disease was reported in Karnataka. 76-year-old man who died two days ago in Karnataka while being treated for suspected coronavirus. The state Government has, meanwhile, confirmed that he did indeed die from coronavirus.

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