Haryana govt imposes ban on devotees gathering during Amavasya at pilgrimage sites

The move to ban gatherings in pilgrimage sites like Kurukshetra and Pehowa comes in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Key Highlights

• Devotees usually gather at Kurukshetra and Pehowa pilgrimage sites for pind-daan of their forefathers on the occasion of Pitrapaksh.

• Officials appealed to people to look after their health and of other people and refrain from gathering at these sites.

• Haryana had reported the biggest single-day spike of 2,783 COVID-19 cases on Saturday.

Chandigarh: The government of Haryana has imposed a ban on the gathering of devotees during Amavasya on September 17 at pilgrimage sites due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as per the state Information and Public Relations Department.

Devotees usually gather at Kurukshetra and Pehowa pilgrimage sites for pind-daan of their forefathers on the occasion of Pitrapaksh. To prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, the administration of Kurukshetra has imposed a complete ban on gatherings.

Officials appealed to people to look after their health and of other people and refrain from gathering at these sites.

COVID-19 in Haryana

On Sunday, 2,526 COVID-19 cases and 19 deaths were reported in Haryana, officials said. The state's caseload has reached 93,641 and the death toll mounted to 975.

"Haryana had reported the biggest single-day spike of 2,783 COVID-19 cases on Saturday. Of the 19 deaths, four were reported from Karnal, three each from Faridabad and Ambala, two each from Gurugram, Rohtak, Bhiwani and Yamunanagar, and one in Kurukshetra, according to the state health department's daily bulletin.

Among the districts which reported fresh cases are Gurugram (339), Faridabad (298), Karnal (295), Ambala (182), Sonipat (167), Rohtak (142), Hisar (126), Kurukshetra (130) and Panchkula (120)," news agency PTI reported.

The number of active cases in the state is 20,079, while 72,587 people have been discharged. As of Sunday, the state has a recovery rate of 77.52 per cent. The fatality rate stands at 1.04 per cent, while the rate at which infections are doubling is 28 days.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, farmers in the state took out a protest rally against the introduction of three ordinances in the agriculture sector, in Kurukshetra. "These ordinances will create a system under which mandis will collapse and MSP scheme will be repealed," said Bharatiya Kisan Union state chief Gurnam Singh.