By P.T. Bopanna
With the second Covid-19 wave hitting Kodagu (Coorg) district in Karnataka, the booming tourism industry has gone for a toss.
In the last few days, Covid cases have shot up and the tourist flow has reduced with visitors keeping away from Raja Seat, Mandalpatti, Nisargadhama, Dubare, Talacauvery and Bhagamandala.
The famous Bhagandeshwara Temple at Bhagamandala was shut down on Wednesday after a staffer tested positive for Covid-19. The St. Michael’s School at Madikeri has been declared a containment zone after six students tested positive.
The crucial tourism sector in the district which was recovering after the pandemic, has been hit hard.
After recording zero cases for a few days in February, the Covid cases started raising in the past few days. On Wednesday, there were 15 positive cases, taking the total active cases to 99 with 53 containment zones.
Though there were warnings that the second wave was imminent, residents in major towns had stopped wearing masks and failed to maintain protocols like social distancing. With cases shooting up in neighbouring Kerala State, the authorities should have been vigilant.