At the festival, devotees wash away their sins in the sacred waters of the river, which are believed to turn into “amrita” – the nectar of immortality – on auspicious days such as Monday.
According to the Police Inspectorate, at least 650,000 people had already taken a dip in the river by the beginning of Monday. Gene. Sanjay Gunjyal. During the day, there will be an estimated 11,000 to 18,000 people in the water at any one time, spread across the 15 main river banks, said Mukesh Thakur, a senior police officer.
“Social detachment is proving very difficult,” said Gunjyal. “If we try to enforce it, it could lead to a stampede – that’s why, despite wanting to, we can’t socially distance ourselves from these river banks.”
He added that authorities “are constantly calling people to wear masks and follow Covid-appropriate behavior.”
India reported 168,912 new cases on Monday, the highest one-day figure for the sixth consecutive day, according to data from the country’s Ministry of Health.
The second wave, which began in March and accelerated rapidly over the past week, far surpassed India’s first wave last year, when at its peak in September, daily cases passed 97,000.
Trying to control the risk
In Haridwar, Uttarakhand State, authorities have taken measures to mitigate the risk during Kumbh Mela.
That includes artificial intelligence cameras on various river banks and 15,000 security personnel deployed to control crowds, Thakur said.
“The camera has sensors that warn us when the number of cars in parking lots or pedestrians exceeds a certain threshold and we can communicate with people on the ground to divert crowds,” said Thakur. “The cameras also detect whether people are wearing masks and the agents on the ground immediately give those people tickets.”
However, Gunjyal said it was impossible to give out tickets to everyone on Mondays because of the huge crowds, with photos showing many people defying the rules for wearing masks.
Other restrictions were intended to prevent carriers of the virus from reaching the festival.
Before entering Haridwar, all attendees at the festival had to register online and provide a medical certificate confirming their health status. Visitors from states with rising infections were required to submit negative Covid-19 test results, and checkpoints were set up at transport nodes to conduct random tests on passing people.
Still, all these restrictions may not be enough to keep the virus from spreading among the masses of people who ate, bathe, and pray close together. Haridwar is already starting to see an increase in infections; According to data from Uttarakhand Health Service, 2,209 cases have been reported in the city since the festival began on April 1.
“The second wave of coronavirus is underway in the country … also in Uttarakhand the impact of (Covid) has increased, with more than 500 cases coming in daily,” Uttarakhand Police Director Ashok Kumar said earlier this month. people to follow the safety guidelines.
“Let’s not let it get to the point where we need another lockdown, because that is harmful to everyone.”