Haridwar: The ongoing Kumbh Mela in Haridwar, Uttarakhand is "becoming a super-spreading event" and the government hopes that the SOP formulated for it is being implemented, the Union health ministry said on Tuesday. Addressing a press conference on the Covid-19 situation in India, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said, "Maha Kumbh is becoming a super-spreader event. The duration of the Kumbh Mela has already been curtailed from 3-4 months to one month this year."

He added that the Centre has issued a standard operating procedure (SOP) that details the practices that should be adopted at the Kumbh Mela. Dr VK Paul, member Niti Aayog (health) and part of the Centre`s core team for Covid-19 pandemic, said he "hopes" that the SOP issued for the Haridwar kumbh Mela is being followed on ground. On Tuesday, Uttarakhand reported 791 new Covid-19 cases. Of these, 303 cases were in Dehradun and 185 cases in Haridwar.

Senior official raises concerns over Covid-19 scare at Kumbh

Meanwhile, according to a report by news agency ANI, on Monday, during a secretary-level meeting of the central government on the prevailing Covid-19 situation, a senior official warned that the ongoing Kumbh mMela might become a "super-spreader" if it is not curtailed further. "If the government does not decide to end Kumbh before the stipulated time, it may become a Covid-19 super-spreader," ANI quoted the official as saying. Quoting unnamed sources, it added that the government is forming a team that will appeal to all with the help of sadhus and religious leaders to ensure pilgrims wear masks and follow social-distancing norms. The report said the Centre is however not considering to prematurely end the Haridwar Kumbh Mela.

Negative RT-PCR report must to attend Kumbh: HC

The Kumbh Mela formally began in Haridwar on April 1 with several restrictions imposed on devotees coming to attend the event amid rising cases of Covid-19 in various states including Uttarakhand. The Uttarakhand High Court has made it mandatory for devotees to bring a negative RT-PCR test report not older than 72 hours before arrival for the Kumbh. The high court said a negative RT-PCR certification will be compulsory even in the case of devotees who have received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. Devotees who have taken the anti-Covid vaccination will have to show their certificates and follow the anti-Covid guidelines like wearing masks, maintaining social distancing and frequently undertaking hand sanitisation in the Kumbh Kshetra. The high court has also asked the health authorities in Haridwar to ramp up testing from 5,000 per day to 50,000.

The Haridwar Kumbh Mela

It is for the first time in the history of the grand religious congregation held on the banks of the Ganga in Haridwar once in 12 years that its duration has been curtailed to just one month due to the pandemic. In normal circumstances, Kumbh is held for nearly four months. Its last edition was held in Haridwar from January 14 to April 28 in 2010. Between April 1 and 30, there will be three major bathing dates (shahi snan or royal baths) on April 12, 14 and 27.

Besides the shahi snan dates when people descend in droves on the banks of the Ganga in Haridwar for a holy bath, a heavy turnout of devotees is also expected on the occasion of Chaitra Pratipada on April 13 and Ram Navami on April 21. The notified Kumbh Kshetra (Kumbh area) covers various places in Haridwar, Dehradun and Tehri districts.

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