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.
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.
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.
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.“
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.
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.“
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.