It has been 5 months and things don’t seem to be mellowing down in terms of the COVID-19 spread. Being forced to stay indoors and no travel have made almost every cranky and short-tempered, so travelling is an absolute necessity right now. But, can you travel right now?
The answer is yes you can travel, states have lifted the travel ban but it comes with certain rules.
So now the big question is where can you travel to and how? I’m giving you all the details you need to know about visiting different weekend getaways from Delhi.
Himachal Pradesh
The Himachal Pradesh government announced the state to be open for tourists in July itself but most of the hotels and homestays in the state remained closed. But now the properties have started to open up and you can definitely change your status of work from home to work from mountains.
You need to apply for an e-pass to travel to Himachal Pradesh. You can apply for e-pass here https://covid19epass.hp.gov.in/applications/epass/apply
In order to successfully get an e-pass, you must have a negative COVID-19 test result done by an ICMR-accredited laboratory not earlier than 72 hours at the time of entry. You will also need a confirmed booking for more than 5 days to get your e-pass.
Uttarakhand
The situation is very much similar to Himachal, you will have to apply for an e-pass and in order to get it you will need a negative COVID-19 test result and hotel booking for more than 5 days.
You can get the e-pass here: http://dsclservices.org.in/apply.php
Rajasthan
In order to travel to places like Jaipur, Pushkar, Alwar, or Bikaner you do not need any e-pass. All you need is your own vehicle and you can drive to these places. But you must book a hotel before reaching the place, you wouldn’t want to end up staying in a shady hotel with no regard for COVID-19 precautions.
Uttar Pradesh
Similarly like Rajasthan, there is no restriction in travelling to UP, except for the weekend lockdown imposed by the state. So you can travel on any weekday without any pass to Uttar Pradesh.
Although you can travel, you must keep in mind following restrictions while travelling to any of the above places
- Face-covers/masks should be worn at all times.
- Social distancing of at least six feet to be maintained as far as feasible.
- Spitting shall be strictly avoided.
- Avoid eating from any roadside place which you think is not hygienic enough
- Do not enter a store/restaurant/beach if it is crowded.
Also, note that there is no public transport available right now for interstate travelling to these places, so you must travel in your own vehicle only.
If you have any symptoms, I advise you not to travel. If you still travel you can be quarantined there until you recover.
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