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HC again makes-ve Covid report mandatory for Kumbh after CM Rawat scrapped it
Days after Uttarakhand’s new chief minister Tirath Singh rolled back Covid-19 precautions for pilgrims arriving in the state for the Mahakumbh, the state high court on Wednesday directed the government to ensure that the visitors possess negative RT-PCR test reports not older than 72 hours or a vaccination certificate
Days after Uttarakhand’s new chief minister Tirath Singh rolled back Covid-19 precautions for pilgrims arriving in the state for the Mahakumbh, the state high court on Wednesday directed the government to ensure that the visitors possess negative RT-PCR test reports not older than 72 hours or a vaccination certificate.
The order came after a court-appointed team of epidemiologists raised concerns over the mass congregation potentially acting as a superspreader event and the union health ministry warned of the dangers of a mega event if Covid-safety protocols were not followed.
Tirath himself, who lost no time in scrapping the requirement for a negative Covid test report put in place by his predecessor, tested positive on Monday, two days after he invited devotees across the world to come to Haridwar for the Mahakumbh saying “nobody will be stopped in the name of Covid-19 as the faith in God will overcome the fear of the Corona virus.” His statement came after a health ministry expert panel recommended several measures to control spread of Covid during Mahakhumb such as an increase in RT-PCR testing capacity and restrictions on people coming from eight states reporting most Covid cases in the country.
The high court issued the directions to enforce strict Covid restrictions after state chief secretary Om Prakash on Wednesday gave an undertaking to the court that the condition of the mandatory negative Covid report will be implemented at the festival. The chief secretary’s submission came in response to a report submitted by a court-appointed committee to check arrangements at the Mahakumbh.
“Pilgrims will have to comply with the court directions on mandatory testing and vaccination certificates,” Om Prakash told reporters in Dehradun.
Between 30 and 50 million pilgrims are expected to visit the shortened month-long festival in April, for which an official notification is yet to be issued. Before the pandemic, over 120 million people were expected to visit a four-month Mahakumbh.
The first shahi snan (royal bath) that kicked off the festivities on March 11 saw over 3.3 million people visit Haridwar. Covid cases have been surging across several states, including some that account for a significant number of pilgrims.
The high court gave its directions while hearing a bunch of PILs (public interest litigations) on Covid-related issues in the state.
On March 5, the court constituted a committee with the mandate to inspect the preparations for the Mahakumbh and submit a report by March 23 with photographic evidence. The team comprised the district judge, Haridwar, the mela adhikari, the petitioner’s counsel Shiv Bhatt and the chief standing counsel. Bhatt said in the report that much of the arrangements were yet to be completed. “We suggested to the court that as some people have completed the vaccination, such pilgrims should also be allowed at the Mahakumbh if they submit a certificate,” Bhatt said.
He added the court directed chief secretary Prakash, health secretary Amit Negi, inspector general of police Sanjay Gunjiyal, mela adhikari Deepak Rawat and the petitioner’s counsel (Bhatt himself) to inspect the Mahakumbh area for the following three days and try to address any shortcomings at the earliest. “The court has directed that an interim report based on the action taken after the inspection be submitted by March 30. The next date for hearing the matter has been fixed for March 31,” he said. The Mahakhumb officially starts from April 1.
On February 22, the court directed the state government to submit a detailed affidavit by March 3 on its preparations in the light of the standard operating procedures released by the Centre. The court sought details of how many frontline workers had been vaccinated in Haridwar and how much medical staff was available for the Kumbh.
The Centre had issued the standard operating procedures on the Mahakumbh in January after the state government approached it for the same on the order of the Uttarakhand high court.
The latest court directions came in the wake of new chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat repeatedly saying that there would be no unnecessary restrictions on pilgrims. On March 13, Rawat announced that negative Covid-19 reports were not necessary to participate in the upcoming shahi snans during the mega event.
Soon after, Rajesh Bhushan, Union secretary, ministry of health and family welfare, wrote to the Uttarakhand chief secretary to take stringent measures to control the spread of Covid-19 during the Kumbh Mela.
Uttarakhand has so far reported 98,646 Covid-19 cases, of which 14,629 cases are from Haridwar district. Currently, Haridwar has the highest active cases among all 13 districts in the state, 351 of a total of 930.
The high court noted in its order that “already alarm bells are being rung in some parts of the country, especially from the south, that the Covid-19 pandemic is again raising its head. Therefore, the pandemic continues to be a cause of concern for all of us. Some of the southern and northern states, like Rajasthan, have started imposing a partial lockdown. This is a clear indication that we are again entering the phase where the country will face the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, the state government is expected to be vigilant and to ensure that the Mahakumbh mela does not turn into a breeding ground for the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic”.
