‘Virus outbreak has affected tourism’

(With inputs from Kapil Dave & Niyati Parikh)

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat health department is probing whether some travel agents are giving flyers advice dangerous to public health by telling them to pop paracetamol pills to avoid running a fever during scanning at international airports, and whether some passengers are following this risky practice.The aim is to avoid extensive checks or land in a country's quarantine net but it puts public health at further risk from the novel coronavirus not just locally but globally.The Gujarat health department has received an alert about this malpractice where a few tour operators taking groups to Dubai and US allegedly advised clients to swallow paracetamol pills four hours ahead of the flight landing on foreign soil.Health commissioner Jai Prakash Shivahare said, "Yes, such a matter has come to our knowledge and we are investigating the issue. The government feels that those who comply with such advice are not only doing a disservice to society but are also putting their family members' lives at risk.""We plan to take strict action against anyone dispensing such advice or those complying with it," the commissioner added."My friend's mother and her group took paracetamol before boarding a plane to Dubai for a tour that was booked in advance. This was done to avoid landing in quarantine on foreign soil," a paramedical professional said on condition of anonymity.Tour operators, however, denied encouraging any such practice. Anuj Pathak, secretary, Tour Operators’ and Travel Agents’ Association of Gujarat (TAG), said, “We advise our clients to take necessary precautions and get a complete medical check-up done at least a week prior to travel. Some have proactively cancelled their bookings.” “The coronavirus outbreak has certainly affected the tourism industry. However, no travel agent will encourage tour bookings at the cost of public health. Our job is to create awareness,” said Manish Sharma, secretary, Travel Agents’ Federation of India — Gujarat.