The trekking guides and adventure sports lovers and hoteliers in dry cold desert of Ladakh face yet another bleak winter tourist season in a row this time as the Leh district administration today suspended popular Chadar Trek-22, snow leopard sighting and all winter activities owing to an upsurge in corona cases and detection of Omicron variant in Leh district.
On the other side of Leh district across Fotu La and Namik La passes at 13000 ft, Kargil district magistrate Santosh Sukhadeve has imposed night curfew from 9:00PM to 6:00AM from today. He directed the health authorities to up surveillance and vaccination drive for second dose in district to fight the pandemic.
The restrictions aside, braving the freezing chill, children continue to enjoy cycling and locals enjoy ice hockey to beat the cold even as temperatures have dipped to -15 Degree Centigrade in the highland dry desert.
According to the health authorities, Ladakh reported 10 new cases today taking a total of 196 active cases- 151 in Leh and 45 in Kargil. It is for the first time that Omicron variant was detected in Leh today.
“CMOs and BMOs will ensure 100 per cent RTPCR sampling of all passengers coming from outside the district regardless of their vaccination report or tests. Any area in radius of 0.5 km, which reports a Covid-19 case will be declared as a buffer zone”, DM Kargil ordered.
But the DM Kargil has not suspended any winter tourism activities in district so far. Kargil Winter Adventure-2022 offers the seven days long trip for the adventure seekers to test their adrenaline rush against the elements in bone freezing heights of Kargil.
In Leh, where adventures were looking some revival of winter tourism activities, the DM order has come as a bad news for the trekkers and lovers of big snow cat and for the hoteliers and local trek guides, who make their bread and butter from the winter tourism activities in this highland cold dry desert.
According to the order issued by the district magistrate Leh, Srikant B Suse today, Chadar Trek-22 and snow leopard sighting expedition and all winter activities in Ladakh have been suspended from today due to an upsurge in corona cases in Union territory of Ladakh.
The first case of omicron variant has also been detect in Leh and there has been upsurge in corona virus cases in district, DM stated directing the all authorities and Ladakh tourism to suspend all winter activities till further order.
This is being done keeping in view the health of public owing to upsurge in Covid-19 cases and detection of Omicron variant in Leh district, stated the order.
District magistrate, who is also the chairperson of the district disaster management authority Leh , states that any violation of the directive will invite penal action under the section 18 B IPC and relevant sections of Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 and DM Act 2005.
Also, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council Leh discussed the issue in its meeting and decided to suspend the Chadar Trek, snow sighting and winter activities in the district due to the rising cases of the Covid-19
But these restrictions have come as big setback for tourism in Ladakh. "We were hoping for a good season as the courier service was also started today, but pandemic restrictions have hit tourism activities this year as well", said the trekking guides.
Ladakh sportspersons not only excel in ice hockey, which has become a passion among all age groups, they are also popularizing snow bashing, snow horse polo, snow soccer, snow cycling, snow sculpture and master off-roading.
However, the fate of Kargil winter expedition -22 that starts from Leh remains uncertain in view of the fresh DM’s order. The Kargil adventure is offering bookings for the seven days long Kargil expedition-2022 that will start in the last week of January, 2022. They offer package ranging from Rs 2.04 lakh to Rs 3 lakh for the tourists.
