Kumbh Mela Begins 2021: Check New SOPs For Pilgrims As People Test At An Ashram

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Sunday had written a letter to Chief Secretary in which he advised the state government to increase the number of RTPCR tests, to follow the standard operating procedures issued by the health ministry and to display signages to disseminate the main points of the SOPs added the ANI report. 

Image Source (PTI)

Haridwar: After 32 people test Covid-19 positive at an ashram, Uttarakhand government issued a modified standard operating procedure (SOPs) for the 2021 Haridwar Kumbh Mela which comes into effect from April 1st 2021. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat on Wednesday assured that the state government is ready to organise a grand and safe Kumbh Mela and said concrete arrangements have been made for the convenience and safety of devotees. These SOPs will be followed till April 30th 2021

According to the new SOP, the district administrations can reinstate containment zones. They have also been asked to impose penalties on people not complying with COVID norms, such as masks wearing and maintaining social distancing. The government has decided to limit the Kumbh this year to 30 days due to the ongoing pandemic said a report by ANI. 

Devotees will have to produce a negative RT-PCR test reports on arrival which shouldn't be older than 72 hours, the Uttarakhand government has made it mandatory for people coming from 12 states. According to an India Today report, Chief Secretary Om Prakash said this applies to devotees coming from Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Rajasthan by road, air and trains from today.  

Media report say, that violations of the SOPs, violations will be punishable under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the Epidemics Act, 1897, and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

According to ANI, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Sunday had written a letter to Chief Secretary in which he advised the state government to increase the number of RTPCR tests, to follow the standard operating procedures issued by the health ministry and to display signages to disseminate the main points of the SOPs.

The letter read, "The state has been informed that the daily testing numbers reported in Haridwar (i.e.50,000 Rapid Antigen Tests and 5,000 RTPCR tests) are not enough to effectively offset the huge number of expected pilgrim footfall. It has been advised that the share of RTPCR tests being conducted at present needs to be significantly increased as per the ICMR guidelines to ensure that the pilgrims and local population are appropriately tested".