India’s Covid crisis is raging out of control. Over the past two months, the country has witnessed a staggering ten-fold increase in infections. On Monday alone, 259,167 cases were reported. And there are fears the true infection rate might be much higher. Yet India’s government is turning a blind eye to certain religious festivals which may be fuelling the problem.
In recent days, millions of Hindu devotees have thronged the banks of the river Ganges for a dip in the water to commemorate the Kumbh Mela festival. The second and third Shahi Snan (holy bath) last week coincided with hundreds of Hindu pilgrims testing positive for Covid-19, as India recorded its highest spike since the start of the pandemic. It took the death of a Hindu monk to finally force India’s prime minister into action. Narendra Modi has now urged Hindu devotees to keep the Kumbh Mela ‘symbolic to strengthen Covid-19 fight’. But his words are too little, too late.
Addressing a huge gathering in recent days, Modi – who was not wearing a mask – told those gathered: ’I’ve never seen such huge crowds’.
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