PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, Dec 18: With picnic season around the district health department has issued an appeal to picnickers to maintain hygiene and follow mandatory Covid norms.
The district health department on Saturday issued a circular to ensure the compliance of standard operating procedures (SOPs) laid out for Covid-19 at all the popular picnic and tourist spots that are likely to witness a huge turnout during the last two weeks of December and January.
” The fear of Omicron, the new variant looms large. Therefore, we are appealing to picnickers to wear masks and also make use of hand sanitisers at picnic spots,” said an official of East Singhbhum’s health department.
This apart, there should be no consumption of tobacco products at the picnic spots.
If required Covid-19 testing would also be carried out in picnic spots that draw large footfalls.
Meanwhile, East Singhbhum district has increased vigilance at the popular tourist and picnic spots in and around steel city including Dimna, Jubilee Park and Chandil.
Even the state tourism department has pulled up its socks to ensure that Covid-19 protocols are followed at the spots maintained by them.
“Even though we have not issued any SOPs for tourists, we have installed hoardings and banners highlighting Covid-19 protocols,” said an official of the state tourism department.
Notably, people in large numbers from Bengal, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh flock to the tourist spots in Jharkhand for a picnic between December-end and February.