Averting Superspreaders: Uttarakhand has rightly cancelled kanwar yatra, all states should discourage large gatherings

Uttarakhand government has cancelled kanwar yatra for this year, just as it had done last year. Uttar Pradesh government should do the same for related congregations. PM Narendra Modi has called out maskless tourists and those flocking to crowded markets, warning that we could be inviting a third Covid wave with such laxity. Covid doesn’t distinguish between shopping, tourism and pilgrimage – it just loves crowds.

The Kumbh mela earlier this year turned out to be a superspreader event. That alone should have given those pushing for the kanwar yatra a pause. Plus, we officially know now what officials perhaps chose not to realise earlier this year – the danger from Covid variants. As for safety protocols that are supposed to be followed for the yatra and the UP CM’s assertion that numbers will be restricted, religious events and festivals in India are almost always larger, more chaotic and less well-managed than what governments want.

Governments around the world are taking smarter calls on big religious gatherings. Saudi Arabia, which has vaccinated just 7.1% of its population fully, has said that it will limit Hajj this year to 60,000 fully vaccinated residents, disallowing believers from abroad for a second straight year. This is the model all states in India should also follow – either cancel large congregations or proceed only with fully vaccinated participants.

Governments in India must take a consistent line on mass gatherings, irrespective of the reason behind such crowds. There are major festivals later in the year. How we celebrate them must be determined solely by how many we have vaccinated and how quickly the virus is spreading. Every exception opens the door to another. UP has often claimed it managed the second wave better than many other states. Disallowing large gatherings is the best way to keep that performance going.