Himalayan State Sikkim Opens for Travel from 10 Oct

Another beautiful destination opens up for intrepid travellers as the Sikkim government has permitted hotels, homestays and other tourism-related services to restart operations from 10 October. 

Ravindra Telang, principal secretary of home in Sikkim signed an order that mentioned: “It has been decided to allow the free interstate movement of people without any requirement of registration with effect from 1 October and also permit hotels, homestays and other tourism-related services to operate from 10 October.”

Officials have also stated, Sikkim - West Bengal border will reopen for unrestricted movement of vehicles from 1 October.

A detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in consultation with the health department for the hotels and the tourism sector will be declared soon, they added. 

The decision, sources said, was taken to kick-start the tourism-dependent state economy because, since March, those allied with travel business are struggling for survival amidst the pandemic and lockdown.

Sikkim Hotel and Restaurant Association, president, Roshan Raj Shrestha, said: “Since this (COVID pandemic) is something we have to live with for a very long time, it is better we start taking pragmatic steps to open up so that people do not suffer further losses.”

Hotels and homestays bookings will start on 27 September. Whereas the odd-even road restricting rule for public vehicles will be raised from 1 October, it may stay for private vehicles.

The odd-even rule aka road rationing rule, first implemented in Delhi to combat air pollution by restricting the number of cars as per the last digit of their registration number, was also imposed in Sikkim to limit movement amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Besides, a complete lockdown will be levied in the Gangtok from 21 September -27 September as part of ‘special measures’ to curb the further spread of COVID-19.

As per a state Home Department order, vehicles will not be allowed to operate except those authorised or engaged in essential services.