COVID-19 lockdown: No clarity on resumption of Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand yet
DEHRADUN : As cases of COVID-19 continue to spike in Uttarakhand, uncertainty looms large on Char Dham Yatra. Ravinath Raman, chief executive of Char Dham Devsthanam Board said, "The meeting to decide on the issue is scheduled next week. We have asked feedback of all 13 district magistrates of the state. Many factors including spread of COVID-19, volume of pilgrims from state and elsewhere and risks involved have to be taken into consideration."
At present, till Saturday a total COVID-19 infection cases in the hill state stood 2,725 out of which 1,822 have recovered from the fatal infection. Senior officials from the state government said that even of the yatra is allowed to resume from next month, there are chances that only pilgrims from Uttarakhand will be allowed in limited numbers with safety precautions.
Earlier this month, the number of pilgrims was fixed to 800 for Kedarnath, 1200 for Badrinath, 600 for Gangotri and 400 for Yamunotri shrine. The state government had banned any pilgrims except home districts of the revered shrines.