The Uttarakhand government has banned devotees from taking a holy bath in the Ganga on the occasion of Makar Sankranti on January 14 in the wake of an alarming rise in COVID-19 cases in the state.
“The entry of devotees to Har ki Pauri in Haridwar, Triveni ghat in Rishikesh, and other ghats has been banned,” said an order issued by Haridwar District Magistrate Vinay Shankar Pandey and Dehradun District Magistrate R. Rajesh Kumar.
The prospect of a third wave of COVID-19 is looming large with an increase in the number of cases, said the order.
A large number of devotees take the 'holy dip' in the Ganga in Haridwar and Rishikesh on the occasion of Makar Sankranti every year.
On Monday, the government had issued an order to close all schools, along with Anganwadi centers till January 16. It had also imposed the night curfew from 10 pm to 6 am.
The government has banned all kinds of political rallies in the state which goes to Assembly polls on February 14.
Uttarakhand on Monday reported 1,292 new COVID-19 cases, and 5 deaths.
