A team from the Department of Health reported that about 10-20 pedestrians and 10-20 people from Kumbh Mela, located in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, were reported to be infected daily. Such a level had the potential to quickly turn into an ‘upsurge’ in cases. This takes the importance given to Uttarakhand Prime Minister Tirath Singh Rawat, saying that a negative assessment of COVID-19 will not be a requirement for those who intend to visit Haridwar. The Uttarakhand government was also told that the daily test numbers reported in Haridwar, about 50 rapid antigen tests and 5,000 RT PCR, were insufficient given the expected number of visitors. The team, led by Sujeet Kumar Singh, Director, National Center for Disease Control in Delhi, visited Uttarakhand on March 16 and 17 to review the State’s health and social preparedness measures through the State. Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare, wrote to Uttarakhand General Secretary Utpal Kumar Singh on Sunday, stressing the concerns raised by the NCDC-led team. The government has been advised to “strictly follow” Department of Health guidelines such as signaling signs, raising awareness of the reporting symptoms of cases involving COVID-19, increasing testing, especially in areas with high delivery capacity, and continuous testing of key personnel before and after important public days 30. If the number of cases increases, the State should immediately “send” genetic samples.
