Sikkim will reopen to tourists from 10 October. The state government has allowed hotels, homestays and other tourism-related services to resume operations and will also open the Sikkim border with West Bengal for unrestricted travel by road from 1 October.
Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) for hotels and the tourism sector will be announced soon, officials said. Bookings for hotels and homestays can resume from 27 September. Inner Line Permits for foreign tourists with valid visas shall be issued from 10 October.
However, the state government may continue to impose the odd-even rule that’s been in place for weeks for public vehicles even after 1 October. The road rationing rule, which limits the number of cars as per the last digit of their registration number, was implemented in Sikkim to reduce vehicular movement amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the lead-up, though, Gangtok will go into a seven-day total lockdown from 21 to 27 September.
An order signed by Ravindra Telang, principal secretary of home in Sikkim said: “It has been decided to allow the free interstate movement of people without any requirement of registration with effect from 1 October and also permit hotels, homestays and other tourism-related services to operate from 10 October.”
