Following the growing cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in India, the various state governments are imposing travel bans on popular tourist attractions in the country.
To contain the spread of the virus in the state, Kerala is on high alert and has closed down all major tourist hotspots until further notice.
These include the Shendurney Ecotourism Project, Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kochi Wonderla Amusement Park, Konni Ecotourism Centre, Elephant Reserve, Punnathoor Aanakotta, Thumboomuzhi, Vazhachal, Athirappilli, and all tourist centres in Thrissur.
Tourist movement has been restricted in Nelliyampathy, Vagamon, Silent Valley National Park and Parambikulam Tiger Reserve. Devotees are also being urged to avoid visiting the Sabarimala Temple, although normal rituals will continue to be performed in the temple.
Along with this, Sikkim has suspended the issuance of inner-line permits (ILPs) and Arunachal Pradesh has stopped issuing Protected Area Permits (PAPs). These permits are required by foreign tourists to enter the respective states.
The Sai Baba Temple in Shirdi has also restricted entry to those showing symptoms of cold and cough. They have been stopped from entering the temple until the epidemic scare subsides.
Iskcon Temple in Vrindavan has also issued a travel advisory requesting foreign devotees to not visit the temple for the next two months. Earlier this week, the Tirupati Temple in Andhra Pradesh had issued a similar advisory.
