Hotels in Naran, Kaghan sealed after fresh coronavirus cases

MANSEHRA: Five hotels at the top tourist hotspots of the country, Naran and Kaghan, have been sealed after some of the hotels’ staffers in the area have tested positive for coronavirus, ARY NEWS reported quoting local administration on Sunday.

According to the local authorities, there is currently no ban on tourists visiting Naran and Kaghan as some hotels have been reopened after a brief closure.

“Some of the hotel staffers in Naran and Kaghan contracted coronavirus,” the administration said and added that they have opened up the tourist spots after disinfecting the hotels.

They said that complete implementation upon coronavirus precautionary measures have been taken to avoid any spread of the virus.

We have currently imposed smart lockdown in five hotels of Naran and Kaghan, the authorities said.

Speaking over the development, Special Assistant to Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Information Kamran Bangash said that the provincial government was not mulling over any restrictions on tourists spots in the province.

“Kaghan Development Authority and local administration have collected samples from seven hotels that showed traces of coronavirus in their staffers,” he said adding that all seven hotels were shut under smart lockdown restrictions.

It is pertinent to mention here that on August 08, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) directed the provinces to devise guidelines for managing tourism to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

Directives were given in the NCOC meeting chaired by Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar in Islamabad on Saturday.

The meeting discussed opening up of tourism sector with standard operating procedures and safety guidelines for containment of the disease.

The forum highlighted that violations of SOPs have been observed at almost all tourist destination and emphasized that, if tourism not managed well, it might create a pandemic outbreak.