The Indian government has warned against what it described as “revenge travel”, noting the large numbers of people flocking to domestic tourism hotspots as states ease restrictions following the second wave.
It comes after several viral reports showing crowds of people not following social distancing and other Covid-appropriate behaviours in several popular Himalayan hill towns, photos the director-general of the Indian Council of Medical Research called “frightening”.
Lav Agarwal, joint secretary in the health ministry, said that violations of Covid rules now could nullify the progress made so far in the management of the pandemic.
India reported 43,733 new cases in the 24 hours ending Wednesday morning, a slight increase on Tuesday, while the overall death toll rose by 930.
Meanwhile, Sydney’s lockdown has been extended for a week as Australia struggles to control the spread of the Delta variant, which was first identified in India.
And in the US, the CDC has said that the Delta variant now accounts for more than 50 per cent of new cases across the country for the first time.
