Uttarakhand’s Haridwar, the city that is hosting the Kumbh Mela, has reported 1,002 Covid-19 cases in two days – 594 on Tuesday and 408 on...
Uttarakhand’s Haridwar, the city that is hosting the Kumbh Mela, has reported 1,002 Covid-19 cases in two days – 594 on Tuesday and 408 on Monday, reported NDTV. Hundreds of thousands of devotees have gathered in the city for a ritual bath in the Ganges River despite the massive surge in coronavirus cases.
The Kumbh Mela, which will be held from April 1 to April 30, is expected to be visited by 10 lakh pilgrims each day. The number of devotees visiting the Mela is likely to climb manifold on three days of “shahi snaan” or royal bath – Monday, Wednesday, and April 27.
Several lakhs of pilgrims are visiting the Kumbh Mela every day but only a few are being tested and other basic Covid-19 related protocols such as wearing masks, thermal screening, and checking negative test reports have been ignored.
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On Monday, over 28 lakh devotees had turned up to take a dip in the Ganges in open violation of coronavirus norms. However, only 18,169 of the pilgrims were reportedly tested between 11.30 pm on Sunday and 5 pm on Monday.
The police had claimed that a stampede may occur if the police tried to enforce physical distancing guidelines. The Uttarakhand Police had said it...
