Uttarakhand COVID update: Char Dham Yatra banned till August 18

The Nainital High Court had banned the Char Dham Yatra till August 18 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic situation. The court came down strongly on the Uttarakhand state government for not checking COVID-related protocols at tourist spots in the state.

As reported earlier, the Uttarakhand state government had to issue a new guideline by updating and issuing the Standard Operating Procedure. As per the reports, the Uttarakhand High Court had earlier put a stay on the state government's decision to allow the Char Dham Yatra from July 1, following which the state government challenged the court's decision in the Supreme Court and filed a plea in the Apex Court.
The Char Dham Yatra attracts tons of pilgrims and tourists from across the country every year, However, this year due to the COVID-19 situation, the state government had earlier only allowed Chardham Yatra for residents of the three districts, which included Rudraprayag, Chamoli, and Uttarkashi, which also had to be rolled back soon after it was announced.

Till Monday, Uttarakhand had reported 341778 COVID-19 cases, out of which, reportedly, 327766 people have recovered so far.
In other news, Uttarakhand Cabinet has approved re-opening of schools from August 1 for students from class 6 to 12, in the wake of decreasing number of Coronavirus cases in the state.