Mussoorie residents demand closure of border as first COVID-19 case triggers panic

Residents of Mussoorie on Thursday requested officials to close the border and not allow any outsiders to come into the state, this followed after a 36-year woman tested positive for the deadly virus.

Dehradun: After the first coronavirus case was reported in Mussoorie, residents on Thursday requested the state govt to restrict movement of outsiders into the mountain land in order to curb the spread of deadly virus, a source said.

A 36-year old woman who returned from Delhi tested positive for coronavirus, following which fear gripped the hill town as the residents became worried about the possibility of escalation.

"There are people who hail from Delhi, Haryana, Punjab but they have bought flats in Mussoorrie as they come here to enjoy their holidays. The state govt is allowing their movement inside even amid this crisis. I would urge the government to do the needful and allow thermal screening, temperature test at the border areas so that the infection can be stopped from spreading," city Congress president, Gaurav Aggarwal said.

A lot of people who are under home quarantine can be seen roaming around the neighbourhood areas, a resident of Mussoorie added. However, another anxious resident said "We are small town and a close-knit community, and one case can easily lead to many".

The state so far has recorded 78 coronavirus confirmed cases with one fatality.