Indian devotees dipped in the Ganges River on the 12th to celebrate the “Great Pot Festival” (Kumbh Mela).
India became the second most infected country in the world with the cumulative number of confirmed cases of Newcastle pneumonia (CCP) on the 12th, surpassing Brazil, as it added the most cases in the world in a single day and once again set a new historical record; at the same time, millions of devotees are celebrating the annual religious celebration “Kumbh Mela” in the Ganges River, raising suspicions that the epidemic is intensifying.
Reuters aggregated data show that India added 168,912 cases on the 12th, the cumulative number of confirmed cases reached 13.53 million, surpassing Brazil to become the second most serious global epidemic countries, the highest number of confirmed cases in the United States for 31.2 million cases.
Experts say that the second wave of the epidemic has been exacerbated by India’s full-scale economic restart, large-scale religious festivals and election campaigns.
In the holy city of Haridwar in northern India, nearly a million devotees gathered on the banks of the Ganges River to celebrate the months-long “Kumbh Mela,” increasing the risk of infection. Local police officers said, “The crowds keep coming in… Police continue to urge people to maintain social distance.
Few people are wearing masks as devotees compete to bathe in the holy river on the auspicious day. Authorities are mandating that people entering the area be tested for the virus, but officials are struggling to cope with the crowds.
Maharashtra, the worst affected state in India, was placed on lockdown last weekend and authorities are considering extending it; 63,294 confirmed cases were added to the state’s 11-day outbreak, with major cities such as Mumbai, Nagpur and Poon among the worst affected.
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