Makar Sankranti 2022: Amid the rise in Omicron variant, Haridwar bans Ganga Snan

Amid the rise in the corona and new variant Omicron surge the Haridwar district completely banned the holy dip of devotes in the Ganga river on the occasion of Makar Sankranti on 14th January. Entry at the 'Har ki Pauri' area will also be under restrictions and the night curfew will be imposed between 10 pm to 6 am on January 14, this order is issued by Vinay Shankar Pandey, DM, Haridwar.

The order also stated that the new variant is a matter of concern and has the capability to spread quickly."In view of the effective guidelines issued for effective control of Covid-19 infection and the strict prohibition of mass gathering for religious purposes, ‘Makar Sankranti/Snan dated January 14’ organized this year is banned by the district administration," the order stated. 

Meanwhile, India is facing a spike in corona cases and has reported 168,063 new Covid cases and 277 deaths in the last 24 hours. While over 400 Omicron cases have also been reported in the same period,  and the overall tally climbs up to 1,247 cases, followed by Rajasthan (645 cases), Delhi (546 cases), Karnataka (479 cases), and Kerala (350 cases).