(TAN): The entire Thorang village Of Himachal Pradesh’s Lahaul-Spiti district, barring one, has tested positive for the Covid-19. Out of the 42 residents of the village, 41 have tested positive, said media reports. All patients have been isolated at home, and the area turned into a containment zone. A middle-aged man is the only resident in the village who tested negative.
Area MLA Ram Lal Markanda said to the media that the village residents had not participated in any social gathering recently. However a temple in the area is frequented by visitors, and the sudden influx of tourists into Lahaul valley following the opening of the Atal Tunnel could have spread the infection, the MLA was quoted as saying by the media.
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The district has reported 909 Covid cases so far, with 425 active cases. Last month, around 40 residents of Rangrik village in Spiti had tested positive after attending a wedding in Manali.
Spiti valley has kept all tourism-related activities closed since the pandemic began, and the residents have unanimously decided to continue doing so till at least March 31 next year. Strict quarantine norms have also been enforced for people coming from outside, and the residents had blocked the entry of their own MLA into Kaza village earlier this year.
The picture however was opposite in the adjoining valley of Lahaul. In absence of any such restrictions, the valley saw a surge in the number of visitors after the Atal Tunnel at Rohtang was thrown open to the public in early October. The otherwise remote valley remains cut-off from the rest of the state for around six months every winter due to heavy snow blocking the Rohtang Pass, which is the gateway to the valley.
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This winter, however, the Atal Tunnel which was built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to facilitate troop movement on the Manali-Leh route till Ladakh, has given access to the area. Tourists and local residents alike have been flocking to the tunnel and visiting Lahaul, which already sits under a blanket of snow after several wet spells.
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