Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on devotees on Saturday to symbolically hold an important Hindu festival amid concerns about the spread of COVID-19 infections as the country reported more than 200,000 new cases for the third consecutive day.
The Indian government’s approach to the health crisis has been criticized as religious festivals and election rallies continue despite reports of shortages of hospital beds, oxygen bottles and vaccination doses. read more
India reported 234,692 COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases to nearly 14.5 million, second only to the United States.
Deaths from the disease increased by 1,341 to 175,649.
After hundreds of thousands of ascetics and devout Hindus gathered along the banks of the Ganges for several days for a religious festival called Kumbh Mela, Modi on Saturday called for restraint, saying on Twitter that the festival should now be held “symbolically”.
In response to Modi’s appeal, one of the religious leaders Swami Avdheshanand urged devotees not to gather in large numbers. Devout Hindus believe that bathing in the holy Ganges releases people from sin, and brings salvation from the cycle of life and death during the Kumbh Mela.
Those returning to Mumbai from the Kumbh Mela in the western state of Maharashtra will be quarantined in hotels, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar said. Maharashtra accounts for a quarter of coronavirus cases in India and is the worst affected region.
Experts have warned of the spread of more contagious varieties of the disease, especially during large-scale gatherings for religious festivals and political gatherings.
On Saturday, Modi would hold two meetings in the eastern state of West Bengal, where state polls are underway. In recent weeks, such gatherings have attracted thousands of people, few of whom follow COVID-19 safety protocols.
“Stop spreader rallies,” the Times of India said in an editorial on Saturday, “Business as usual is a priceless luxury until this virus is finally tamed.”
Daily COVID-19 vaccinations in India have slowed from their record high at the beginning of this month and many state governments have called for more doses.
Federal Health Minister Harsh Vardhan assured states that there were no shortages and that 11.6 million doses would become available within a week, adding that 125 million doses have already been administered.
Some state governments in India have raised concerns about the hoarding and black marketing of the antiviral drug Remdesivir. read more
Nawab Malik, a Maharashtra minister, accused Modi’s federal government on Twitter for restricting Remdesivir supplies to the state. A minister in Modi’s cabinet, Mansukh Mandaviya, denied the allegation, saying adequate supplies were being provided.
After imposing one of the world’s toughest lockdowns for nearly three months last year, the Indian government relaxed almost all curbs in early 2021, although many regions have now introduced local restrictions.
“This is Narendra Modi’s biggest crisis to date. It is greater than any security threat, external or internal, or even the 2020 economic course,” prominent editor and political commentator Shekhar Gupta wrote in a column on Saturday.
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