Delhi govt mandates 14-day home quarantine for pilgrims returning from Kumbh Mela

New Delhi: Delhi residents who have visited the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar or are planning to do so will have to undergo compulsory 14-day home quarantine on their return, and upload their details on an official website, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority said in an order. The ongoing Kumbh Mela has been at the centre of controversy amid fears that it could be a super-spreader event with lakhs of devotees attending the event as the second wave of the coronavirus surges exponentially. The order issued on Saturday said those who visited Kumbh from 4 April onwards or those who plan to do so till end of the religious congregation at Haridwar on 30 April will have to upload their personal details, ID proof and dates of departure and arrival back to Delhi at the website delhi.gov.in. “All residents of Delhi who have visitedor are going to visitKumbh 2021 at Haridwar, shall be required to compulsory home quarantine themselves for 14 days on arrival to Delhi,” said the order issued by Vijay Dev, Chief Secretary and chairperson on executive committee of DDMA. If a person returning from Haridwar Kumbh fails to upload his particulars on the Delhi government portal, he will be sent to institutional quarantine centre for 14 days by district magistrates concerned, the order said. Violators of the DDMA order will be liable to be proceeded against under the Disaster Management Act 2005 and other legal provisions, it added. A total of 1,701 people had tested positive for COVID-19 in the Haridwar Kumbh Mela area from 10 to 14 April, confirming fears that one of the world’s largest religious gatherings may contribute further to the rapid rise in coronavirus cases. A majority of the 48.51 lakh people who took part in the last two royal baths (shahi snan) held on the occasion of Somwati Amavasya on 12 April and Mesh Sankranti on 14 April were seen openly violating COVID-19 norms like wearing of face masks and social distancing.