Pilgrims might cause Covid-19 surge

More than three million pilgrims participated in the Hindu Kumbh Mela festival in India, which is believed to be the world’s largest religious gathering. Pilgrims bathe in the Ganges River to take a holy dip known as “Shahi Snan”. Despite India surpassing Brazil as the country with the second-highest number of Covid-19 infections — more than 13-million cases — thousands of pilgrims flocked to the river for a religious event held once every 12 years. The country saw a 70% increase in cases as more than 873000 new infections were recorded in the past week, reports AFP. More curfews might be put in place; as of now, only some areas are subject to curfews. The country has avoided ongoing lockdown measures so as not to spark an economic crisis.