Uttarakhand: COVID-19 cases surge, negative RT-PCR report mandatory for Kumbh
With COVID-19 cases surging again in Uttarakhand, the State Government on Wednesday made it mandatory for devotees to bring a negative RT-PCR report not older than 72 hours to attend the forthcoming Kumbh Mela in Haridwar. The Kumbh Mela is scheduled to begin on April 1. Here are more details.
Haridwar reported 71 of the 200 cases recorded on Wednesday
200 new infections were reported on Wednesday of which Haridwar recorded the most. The city is in the final stages of preparations to host the Kumbh Mela starting from April 1. "Haridwar reported 71 cases, Dehradun 63, Nainital 22 Udham Singh Nagar 14, Pauri, Rudraprayag and Tehri eight each, Pithoragarh five and Almora one," a COVID-19 control room bulletin in Dehradun said.
Directives were issued by the Uttarakhand High Court
The Uttarakhand High Court has issued directives regarding this. The court has said that it will be mandatory to bring a negative RT-PCR report not older than 72 hours or a vaccination report for attending the Kumbh.
Earlier, CM Rawat had said devotees can freely attend Kumbh
The newly-elected Chief Minister, Tirath Singh Rawat had earlier said, "It was not compulsory to bring a negative RT-PCR test report for devotees gathering for the Kumbh. It is a religious event that comes once in 12 years and devotees can attend it freely." However, he later ordered strict compliance with the guidelines issued by the Centre in view of the surging positive cases.
No new COVID-19 cases detected in four districts
Lying low for a few months, the COVID-19 cases in Uttarakhand are showing a rising trend of late. However, no fresh COVID-19 cases were detected on Wednesday in Bageshwar, Chamoli, Champawat, and Uttarkashi Districts. There were no COVID-19 casualties in the state either.
Kumbh Mela is held four times over 12 years
Kumbh Mela, one of the largest religious gatherings around the world, is held four times over a course of 12 years at four river-bank pilgrimage sites - Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain, and Nashik. All the devotees will be required to register on the web portal of the Kumbh Mela and have their documents verified before they are issued e-passes.
Precautionary guidelines for COVID-19
All the devotees are required to maintain a distance of six feet. Pilgrims will not be allowed to enter religious places without wearing a face mask. Hand sanitizer stalls have been set up at various places at the Mela site, which spreads over Haridwar, Pauri Garhwal, and Dehradun districts of the state. Dustbins will be placed for the disposal of gloves, face masks, etc.
