COVID Surge: After Kumbh Fiasco, Uttarakhand Suspends Char Dham Yatra

Nainital: Following the health disaster posed by the holding of Kumbh Mela in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Uttarakhand government suspended the Char Dham Yatra on Thursday.

“Conducting the yatra amid the raging pandemic is not possible. Only priests of the four temples at Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Gangotri will perform rituals and puja,” Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

The CM also blamed patients from neighbouring states for the jump in death rate in Uttarakhand in the past few weeks.

“We are surrounded by Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh from where critical patients often travel to Uttarakhand for treatment. As such, it becomes difficult for us to save them. Hence, people should get tested as soon as they feel any symptoms so as to avoid severities,” he said.

On Wednesday, the Uttarakhand High Court had taken the state government to task over the COVID-19 situation. The court said the state has become a laughing stock due to its organising the Kumbh Mela in the midst of a raging pandemic.