Varanasi Urges Tourists To Stay Away In April As Covid Cases Rise

The Varanasi administration has also said those visiting the famous Kashi-Vishwanath temple need a negative RT-PCR test report to enter.

Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, facing rising Covid cases and an infrastructure that is struggling to cope, has urged tourists to stay out of the temple city in April. The temple city has seen a steep rise of 1,266 per cent in Covid cases over the past two weeks. "We appeal to domestic and international tourists planning to visit Varanasi to cancel their trip this month because of the unprecedented Covid infections," Varanasi District Magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma has said in an advisory. The Varanasi administration has also said those visiting the famous Kashi-Vishwanath temple need a negative RT-PCR test report to enter. These Covid-negative reports will also be needed for visitors stopping over, Mr Sharma said. Varanasi district currently has 10,206 active infections, the highest after state capital Lucknow and Prayagraj, another popular destination for tourists and devotees.