In a bid to avert the spread of novel Coronavirus to the islands, Andaman and Nicobar administration recently issued an advisory for tourists. The tribal welfare department in its advisory has asked all the tourists to refrain from travelling to the Islands from the midnight of March 16, 2020, to March 26, 2020.
With the issuance of this advisory, various tourist spots and services including jetties, beaches, eco-tourism sites and water sports activities, will also be suspended in the islands.“All Eco-tourism venues, jetties, boats etc. will be closed for tourists in Andamans from midnight of March 16-17 to March 26, to prevent crowding,” said Chetan Sanghi, Chief Secretary, Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Other major tourist sites including Cellular Jail (Light & Sound Shows), Havelock Island, Neil Islands, Baratang etc. will also remain closed till further orders.
However, all the modes of transport including ships under the Directorate of Shipping Services (DSS), private vessels, administrative buses as well as private buses will be kept open only for residents. All the modes of transport will be operating at 50 per cent capacity and will also have ‘staggered seating’ to prevent close contact between passengers while travelling. Besides, the workers have been advised to sanitise their vessels/vehicles before and after every trip.
As a precautionary measure, the tribal welfare administration has also reduced the number of vehicles passing through the tribal reserve areas. These measures are undertaken to limit the chances of virus to spread in the tribal community. In terms of revenue generation, as per Union Home Ministry, the revenue generated in the tourism sector (including airfare) in the Andamans region is nearly INR 100 crores every year.
