A large number of people took a holy dip in the Ganga river on the occasion of Chitra Purnima in the ongoing Kumbh Mela in Haridwar on Tuesday. People were seen flouting COVID-19 regulations as they were not wearing face masks and were also not maintaining social distance. The last 'shahi snan' of Kumbh Mela is also taking place today.
The first Shahi Snan was held on March 11 on the occasion of Mahashivratri, while the second and third were held on April 12 and 14. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had appealed on April 17 that the Kumbh Mela "should now only be symbolic amid the coronavirus crisis", stressing that it would give a boost to the fight against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In response, Swami Avdheshanand replied, "We respect PM Modi's appeal. Saving lives is sacred. I request people to not gather for the ritual bath in large numbers and follow all Covid protocols."
Amidst the devastating second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, India reported 3.23 lakh fresh coronavirus cases and over 2,700 related deaths in the last 24 hours. A total of 3,23,144 new COVID-19 cases, 2771 related deaths and 2,51,827 recoveries were reported in the last 24 hours. Taking the total active cases to 28,82,204, as per the health ministry update on Tuesday morning.
Meanwhile, the total count of positive cases now stands at 1,76,36,307, including 1,97,894 deaths and 1,45,56,209 recoveries. As many as 28,09,79,877 samples tested for COVID-19 up to April 26, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) informed. Of these 16,58,700 samples were tested on Monday. The total doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered stand at 14,52,71,186.
