People were seen without mask, with no social distancing as India logged over 1.6 lakh cases on Tuesday/Image from PTI
New Delhi: Uttarakhand's Haridwar reported 594 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, taking the active caseload of the city to 2,812, as thousands gathered to take dips in the Ganges for the 13th day of Mahakumbh, reports NDTV.
Haridwar registered 408 infections on Monday, taking the total cases in Uttarakhand to 1925, with 13 deaths in the last 24 hours
The Kumbh Mela, which will be held from April 1 to April 30, is expected to be visited by around 10 lakh pilgrims each day. Despite the severe surge in coronavirus infections this year, nearly a million people have flocked to the banks of the Ganges to participate in the Mela.
On Monday, Haridwar witnessed over 28 lakh devotees on the auspicious Shahi Snan (ritualistic bath), ignoring all sorts of safety protocols, such as masks, thermal screening, and checking negative test reports. Only 18,169 of the pilgrims were reportedly tested between 11.30 pm on Sunday and 5 pm on Monday.
Uttarakhand has reported 1,12,071 cases of coronavirus so far with 1,780 deaths.
India for the seventh consecutive day recorded over one lakh cases of coronavirus with 1,61,736 new infections, with 879 new fatalities, taking the total death count to 1,71,058 in 24 hours.