Jams, over-crowding, no hotel rooms, packed parking lots, people sleeping in cars, midway hold ups, that's the story of nearly all popular hill stations in Himachal Pradesh since the state relaxed Covid norms to allow tourists.
While tourist rush is certainly a boom for business that has taken a very hard Covid knock, pictures of swarms of tourists in Shimla and Manali have raised Covid concerns again. Social distancing norms and mask rules are being openly flouted.
As the pictures of popular summer tourist destinations brimming with people went viral on social media, many cautioned that the "no hotel beds" situation may soon turn into a "no hospital bed" situation, reminding of the deadly second wave of Covid that devastated the country in April-May.
PIB Himachal also put out a warning saying "Manali can wait, but virus won't", cautioning people against taking the coronavirus lightly while holidaying.