Hindu pilgrims bathe in Ganges despite COVID surge
January 14, 2022
Hundreds of thousands of devotees have congregated on the banks of the Ganges to mark Makar Sankranti, amid soaring COVID-19 infections.
Events marking Makar Sankranti continued despite concern over the increase in new infectionsImage: Sanjay Kanojia/Getty Images/AFP
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Thousands attend Hindu festival amid COVID-19 surge
Hundreds of thousands of devout Hindus are expected on the banks of the Ganges on Friday and Saturday. Critics fear it could turn into a superspreading event like a similar gathering in Haridwar last year.
Image: Rupak De Chowdhuri/REUTERS
Crush of pilgrims expected
People crowd to the Magh Mela festival in the northern Indian city of Prayagraj (formerly Allahabad) The region is better known for the mega Kumbh Mela which takes place every 12 years in January/February at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna, both considered sacred rivers in Hinduism.
Image: Rupak De Chowdhuri/REUTERS
The largest religious festival in the world
Devotees flock to Prayagraj from all parts of the country. Despite the pandemic, the Kumbh Mela held in Haridwar last year had attracted up to 25 million people to northern India and, according to experts, was significant in spreading the devastating delta infection wave. Critics fear a similar development at Prayagraj this year.
Image: Sanjay Kanojia/Getty Images/AFP
Fears of a superspreader event
Hindu devotees take a holy dip inthe Ganges. A police official on duty at the event told news agency AFP that it was "impossible" to enforce Covid restrictions. "Most pilgrims are bent on defying the rules," he said. "They believe that God will save them and bathing at the confluence will cleanse all their sins and even the virus if they are infected.“
Image: Sanjay Kanojia/Getty Images/AFP
Testing pilgrims a huge challenge
The high court in the city of Kolkata this week allowed the festival to be held, but ruled that all pilgrims must be tested for COVID-19. Amitava Nandy, a virologist from the School of Tropical Medicines in Kolkata, said the government "has neither the facilities nor the manpower" to test everyone attending.
Image: Dibyangshu Sarkar/Getty Images/AFP
Authorities struggle to enforce COVID rules
A government official urges pilgrims to maintain social distancing and to wear face masks. "Holy water from the river Ganges was sprayed from drones on pilgrims... to prevent crowding,“ local official Bankim Hazra told news agency AFP. "But the saints and a large number of people were bent on taking the dip... Pilgrims, most of them without masks, outnumbered security personnel.“
Image: Rupak De Chowdhuri/REUTERS
Critics blame politicians for rising infections
Critics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) say the festival has been allowed despite rising infections. They say Modi's government isn't willing to anger Hindus, who are the party's biggest supporters, ahead of crucial state elections in the state of Uttar Pradesh in less then a month.
Image: Dibyangshu Sarkar/Getty Images/AFP
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Hundreds of thousands of Hindu worshippers have continued to observe the Makar Sankranti festival, as India experiences a surge in new infections.
Each year on January 14, Hindu pilgrims gather on the banks of the Ganges to bathe in its chilly waters. It's believed the holy river's waters cleanse followers of sin.
India sees steep rise in COVID cases
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Makar Sankranti events proceed
Authorities are concerned that the gatherings could turn into so-called "super-spreader" events. Despite these concerns, events have proceeded.
One local official told the AFP news agency that people had begun to gather since sunrise.
"At the crack of dawn, there was a sea of people," Bankim Hazra told AFP. "Holy water from the river Ganges was sprayed from drones on pilgrims... to prevent crowding."
Authorities in the northeastern city of Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh said that COVID-19 protocols had been implemented.
District official Pushpraj Singh told the German dpa news agency that those attending events were required to produce vaccine certificates and negative test results.
"All the pilgrims have to show their vaccine certificates with negative PCR test reports. Thermal scanning is being done. We are trying to enforce the safety measures and will take action against violators," Singh said.
Elsewhere, local news channels reports showed many people wearing protective masks although most were unable to socially distance.
Thousands of people gathered on the bank of the river Ganges, with many unable to observe social distancingImage: Rupak De Chowdhuri/REUTERS