BREAKING: Sikkim removes seating restrictions on public transport vehicles & two-wheelers

GANGTOK: Even as the State Governments are seeking to rejuvenate the tourism industries in the wake of the COVID-19 spread, Sikkim has removed all restrictions on the passenger seating capacity in all public transport vehicles and two-wheelers.

"Consequent to the normalization of the passenger seating capacity, all fare chargeable shall be the normal notified rate as per notification no. GOS/MVD/T/2018-19/140 dated 17.11.2018 of the Motor Vehicle Division, Transport Department, with immediate effect," read a notification issued by the State's Transport Authority.

After months of battling the dreaded coronavirus, the Sikkim Government finally announced the reopening of tourism in the state from October 10 -- many of the restrictions have been removed. Tourism is the most lucrative business in Sikkim and makes up a major chunk of the economy.

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This move was announced despite a bar on the entry of tourists (imposed by the local bodies) to popular destinations like Lachung in North Sikkim and Yuksom in West Sikkim.

Meanwhile, the Lachen Dzumsa of North Sikkim, after consulting with Minister Samdup Lepcha, said that from November 20 onwards, tourists will be allowed to stay in Lachen. The Tourism Department can now issue the permit to stay in Lachen "with immediate effect."

Workers -- such as carpenters, masons, etc -- who wish to work in the Lachen area shall have to stay in home quarantine for 7 days.
In the first phase, only domestic tourists and foreigners residing in the country would be allowed to enter Sikkim.

Sikkim''s COVID-19 death toll increased to 95 with three more persons succumbing to the disease on Wednesday, while 29 fresh cases of infection took the tally to 4,577, an official said.

Sikkim now has 300 active cases, while 4,098 patients have recovered from the disease so far and 84 others have migrated to other states, he said.

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