The government has clarified that no order has been issued directing the hotels and restaurants to remain closed till October 15 in the wake of coronavirus outbreak.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Hotels and restaurants have not been asked to remain shut till October 15, says government
- A letter circulating over social media claimed hotels are to remain closed
- Tourism ministry has termed the letter as fake and misleading
The government on Wednesday dismissed rumours that hotels have been directed to remain closed till October 15. The tourism ministry clarified that no such notification was issued directing the hotels and restaurants to remain shut until October 15 in the wake of novel coronavirus outbreak.
This has come in response to a letter doing rounds on social media claiming that the government has asked hotels and restaurants not to resume operation before October 15. The tourism ministry has termed the letter as fake.
Identifying that this may create panic in tourism sector, the ministry issued a formal clarification. It said “no such letter has been issued by Ministry of Tourism” and that “people must not believe such kind of fake news.”
The ministry’s note adds that the PIB fact check has already clarified it on twitter.
No letter has been issued by @tourismgoi on closing of hotels/restaurants till 15th Oct 2020 amidst #CoronaOutbreak.
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) April 22, 2020
It's a request to all to ignore such messages and only believe the official communication. https://t.co/MjDTVwaX9i
As Covid-19 has had massive impact on tourism sector, the ministry has decided to use technology to let people visit places and destinations virtually and plan the travels for a later date.
“In these unprecedented times, technology is coming handy to maintain human contact and also keep faith that times will be good to be able to travel again soon,” reads a department’s note issued on April 16, when it launched “DekhoApnaDesh” webinar series. The first in the webinar series was ‘City of Cities– Delhi’s Personal Diary’, which touched upon the long history of Delhi.
Union Minister of State for Tourism and Culture Prahlad Singh Patel said webinar series will be a long-term feature of the ministry’s programme. It will work towards showcasing history and culture of India including its monuments, cuisine, arts, dance forms, natural landscapes, festivals and other aspects of rich Indian civilisation.