NEW DELHI: Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya has written to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, asking him to ensure Covid-19 guidelines are followed during the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ or to suspend it in “national interest.”
In his letter dated December 20, the minister said that in the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Rajasthan Covid guidelines, including the use of masks and sanitisers, are strictly followed, and only those who are vaccinated are allowed to participate.
The yatra has now entered Haryana on Wednesday and will then proceed to Delhi on December 24.
"If Covid protocol cannot be followed, then, in view of the public health emergency, and to save the country from the Covid pandemic, I request you to suspend the Bharat Jodo Yatra in the national interest," the minister further said in his letter.
The minister’s letter came in the wake of a surge in Covid cases in China, the US and East Asia.
The health minister is also holding a high-level meeting with top officials later today to discuss the evolving international situation, even as the union health secretary instructed the states and union territories on Tuesday to strengthen the genome sequencing of positive samples and to keep track of newer variants.
In his letter, Mandaviya said three Rajasthan BJP MPs had written to him, expressing concern over rising cases of Covid-19 across the world over the past few days.
The Yatra, which began from Kanyakumari on September 7, marked its 100 days on Friday, during the 12th day of its Rajasthan leg. The yatra has covered parts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan. It will end in Jammu and Kashmir.