Kawad Yatra postponed amid COVID-19 concerns as nationwide cases continue to soar

The chief ministers of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana on Saturday arrived at a consensus to postpone the Kawad Yatra this year in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic. The yatra annually attracts a large number of people and would have proved to be a high-risk event given the rising cases of novel coronavirus infection in the country.

READ: Coronavirus Live Updates: India's Cases Soar To 3,95,048; Recovery Rate Improves To 54.13%

Yatra postponed

The issue was discussed among the leaders over video conferencing and Union Home Minister Amit Shah's consensus was taken before announcing the decision. 

Earlier in the day, the Gujarat High Court ordered stay on holding of annual Jagannath Rath Yatra procession over COVID-19 concerns. A division bench of Chief Justice Vikram Nath and Justice JB Pardiwala issued a stay on all secular and religious activities related to the Rath Yatra, after taking into consideration submissions made by a petitioner and respondents as well as the recent Supreme Court''s order staying Rath Yatra.

"It is commendable for the Gujarat High Court to open their doors for this urgent hearing since it would have been a very dangerous situation that would've been created because there is no way that social distancing would've been followed. It would've also been dangerous since the Ahmedabad is a hotspot for COVID-19 cases. It is also a violation of the Central Guidelines. If the doors of the temples of Justice can be open digitally, why can't the doors of Temples be open for devotees in the same manner?" said Aum Kotwal, the petitioner's lawyer. 

READ: Chennai Deserted As Lockdown Kicks In; 2,000 Plus Cases Filed Against Violators

Coronavirus In India

On Saturday, the country reported 14,516 cases, the highest spike in the number of cases in a day, taking the total to 3,95,048 out of which 1,68,269 are active cases. The recovery rate has now touched 54.13% with a total of 2,13,830 recoveries so far. 

The Union Health Ministry on Friday wrote to all states and Union Territories to ensure the strict implementation of guidelines on home isolation at the field level. Mentioning that certain states are allowing home isolation as a routine practice, Lav Aggarwal - the Joint Secretary in the Health Ministry, cautioned that this might lead to the spread of disease among family members and neighbours, especially in dense urban conglomerations. According to him, the policy of test, trace, track, and isolate may not be feasible if the guidelines are not implemented in letter and spirit. 

READ: Lockdown On For Day Two, Tamil Nadu CM K Palaniswami Says It Is A 'speed Breaker'

READ: Jagannath Temple Managing Committee Urges Odisha Govt To Seek Modification In SC Order On Rath Yatra