Kumbh Mela devotees returning to state will be monitored: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced that devotees returning from Haridwar Kumbh Mela will be monitored and subjected to COVID-19 testing.

This new slew of measures come in the wake of night curfew and other restrictions already implemented in order to curb the rising COVID-19 cases in the state.

In the COVID-19 review meeting held with the Cabinet ministers, Chouhan also emphasised the effective implementation of home isolation.

At the Kumbh Mela, total of 1,701 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the Haridwar Kumbh Mela from April 10 to 14. Many seers have tested positive for COVID-19 the medical office at Haridwar said.

As many as 68 seers have tested positive for COVID-19 between April 5 to 14, including Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad president Mahant Narendra Giri, who is admitted at the All India Institute Of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh.

While Mahamandaleshwar of Maha Nirwani Akhada from Madhya Pradesh Swami Kapil Dev died at a private hospital on April 13 after testing positive for COVID-19. The Kumbh Mela was shortened this year to just one month from April 1 to 30 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, on Friday (April 16), Madhya Pradesh recorded 11,045 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. 60 people lost their lives due to the deadly infection, while the active cases reached 59,183 in the state.