Arunachal Pradesh, one of the Indian states that is listed quite down below in the list of ‘most impacted India states by COVID-19’ due to their nature is ready to open its borders for the tourists.
In a tweet flashed on 15th October 2020 by Pema Khandu, Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, he announced that the state is open for travelling once again. In the next series of tweets he also promoted tourism a bit and shared the SOP for the travel and tourism in the state as well.
It is quite fascinating that in a population of more than 13 Lakh individuals only 3000+ active cases are recorded and 9000+ have been recovered already but still with the unfortunate fatality count of 30 individuals.
There are some points that needs to be noted from the SOP released for travelling Arunachal Pradesh. These points are to be remembered if you’re planning a trip to Arunachal Pradesh in the upcoming times.
First of all, Inner Line Permit (ILP) is a major requirement for anybody entering the state from outside. Due to that only, you need to have a extra set of documents with you which will be verified on your arrival. The list of required documents contains tour itineraries and vehicle details, COVID-19 certificate, tour booking slips, and details of the guide and driver.
For those who are unaware, no citizens who belong to outside states other than the said state which is protected by the ILP system, can enter the state without a particular set of documents. They also cannot overstay their welcome and would have to go back on a specfic date that is approved.
Now, there are three states which follows the ILP system namely Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram.
Moving on, for visiting Arunachal Pradesh one also requires a COVID-19 negative certificate (RTPCR or True NAT test) from ICMR designated laboratory/facility which has been done 72 hours prior to their visit.
Anyone who is part of the voyage with the tourist weather it be the guide, driver or family members, everyone has to follow the COVID-19 inter-state traveller testing protocol .
Furthermore, protective gear, social distancing norms and all type of precautionary measures is to be followed by the tourist visiting the state. Also, having Aarogya Setu app on the touring individuals phone showing them safe from Covid-19 is also mandatory.