Experts warn against Covid relaxations at Mahakumbh
The number of daily Covid-19 cases in the hill state has been steadily increasing over the past one week.
With the Uttarakhand government removing all Covid-19 restrictions for people attending the Mahakumbh in Haridwar, experts on Monday warned that the religious event could spark an alarming spike in the infections that already shown signs of a fresh wave in the country over the last few weeks.
Uttarakhand chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat has announced that negative Covid-19 reports are not necessary to participate in the upcoming ‘shahi snans’ during the event. “Devotees were afraid that they will not be allowed to enter if their Covid-19 report will not be negative. On this, I confirmed that the report is not needed,” Rawat told ANI on Monday. “Around 3.2-3.3 million devotees participated in first ‘shahi snan’ and they left for their home peacefully,” he added.
Former chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, who resigned from the post recently, said the state government needed to be cautious amid rising cases. “25,000 infections, highest in 2021, have been recorded on Sunday, so we need to be more cautious in organising mega religious fairs such as the Mahakumbh.”
The number of daily Covid-19 cases in the hill state has been steadily increasing over the past one week. On Monday, the state reported 52 Covid-19 cases, up from an average daily increase of 20 a week ago. On March 11, the day of the first “shahi snan” in the Mahakumbh on the occasion of Mahashivratri, the Uttarakhand government removed the condition of mandatory Covid-negative certificate for entering the religious place. The number of people who attended the event was almost three times the number the organisers estimated. “Making Mahakumbh free for all can be dangerous as there are other parts of the country that are witnessing a surge. If we are not cautious, we can again have a sharp surge, radiating across the state from the Mahakumbh area. Also, how can they make the Centre’s SOP lenient? They can change it but not make it more lenient,” said Anoop Nautiyal, founder of Dehradun-based think tank Social Development for Communities.
On his visit to Haridwar on March 11, the chief minister directed officials that visitors should not face any problem while entering Haridwar for the religious event. The Kumbh will be held from April 1 to April 30 in Haridwar.
