Day picnickers not allowed to visit Patnitop in J-K's Udhampur from Friday

Jammu, Jul 14: Authorities in Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir have decided against allowing day picnics to the famous hill resort of Patnitop from Friday, a step taken to regulate the flow of visitors amid spike in COVID-19 cases in the union territory.

District Magistrate, Udhampur, Piyush Singla said only those having confirmed hotel bookings would be allowed to visit Patnitop, about 112 km from Jammu.

Several video clips purportedly showing holiday-makers flouting COVID-19 guidelines and social distancing norms at Patnitop went viral on social media.

Patnitop is a star attraction for visitors fleeing hot and humid weather conditions in the Jammu region.

The hill resort recorded a heavy rush of visitors on the weekends after the government announced the opening of parks and gardens last week.

Singla, who is also the head of the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), said a fine of Rs 1,000 would be charged from those who are found moving without wearing masks.

Jammu and Kashmir had recorded a total of 10,827 positive cases till Monday evening. While 188 patients -- 170 in Kashmir and 18 in Jammu -- have died of the deadly virus, 6,095 others have recovered.