Kumbh Mela: Rishikesh's Bharat Bhoomi complex to be set up as Covid Care Centre

It's the seventh day for the Kumbh Mela since it started on April 1 and Uttarakhand recorded 791 fresh Covid cases including 303 cases in Dehradun and 185 cases in Haridwar on Tuesday, taking the total number of positives in the region to 1,03,602. The Dehradun district administration has now acquired the Bharat Bhumi Tourist complex under the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam in Rishikesh, so it can be used as a Covid care centre, to treat hundreds of incoming devotees who are likely to contract the virus.
 
The District Magistrate of Dehradun, Ashish Srivastava told ANI, "Keeping in view of exercising COVID guidelines amid Kumbh Mela celebrations, Rishikesh's Bharat Bhoomi Tourist complex under Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam Limited will be set up as COVID care centre." Thousands of devotees and saints have gathered in Uttarakhand to take the holy dip in the Ganga river. The government had last month issued guidelines for the massive gathering, expecting the incoming pilgrims to abide by the same.

No plans to cut short Kumbh Mela in Haridwar: Union Health Ministry

However, little is being followed at the massive gathering where several devotees are seen without masks, and social distancing seems to be a forgotten affair. The Union Health Ministry meanwhile has said that there are "no plans to cut short the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar prematurely" while it "hopes" that standard operating procedures (SOPs) are being followed there.
 
Addressing a query on whether Kumbh can be a super-spreader of coronavirus or not, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan yesterday told ANI, "As the super spreader events are concerned, the union government almost a month ago issued an SOP, specifically for practices to be adopted in Kumbh and had a long meeting with the state government's officers."

"One fact that we usually lose sight of is that the duration of Kumbh has already been curtailed, Kumbh wherever it happens is usually for three and a half to four months, the present Kumbh has been curtailed to a month," he added.