Gangasagar Mela: KMC to conduct Covid tests of Naga sadhus at Babughat camp

kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will be conducting COVID-19 tests of Naga sadhus at the Babughat camp where they will be staying en route to the Gangasagar Mela that is slated to be held from January 8 to 15.

Last two years, due to the Covid situation, the number of sadhus in Gangasagar was comparatively less. The administration has estimated the arrival of around 30 lakh pilgrims this year.

However, with a new Covid strain unleashing global terror, precautionary steps will be taken to prevent the spread of the virus during the annual pilgrimage fair.

Along with the tests, masks and sanitisers will also be made available to the participants of the Gangasagar mela. Mayor Firhad Hakim on Saturday said that there will be one camp for Covid testing along with arrangements for masks and sanitiser. However, if there is any directive from the Health department in due course related to Covid protocol, it will be implemented.

During the annual festival at Sagar Island, lakhs of people take a dip at the confluence of the Ganges and the Bay of Bengal on 'Makar Sankranti' and offer prayers at the Kapil Muni Ashram.

Mayor Firhad Hakim chaired a preparatory meeting related to arrangements and setting up of camps at Babughat for the pilgrims with different stakeholders that include the Public Health Engineering department, Transport department, Health department, CESC, different NGOs and of course the KMC.

Meanwhile, the state government has taken up initiative to make the fair plastic-free this year. A tableau was launched to spread awareness on making the fair plastic-free.

State on Sunday registered nine Covid cases while on Saturday the single-day cases stood at six. No Covid death was reported on Sunday as well. After three years, Bengal had witnessed zero single-day Covid cases last Sunday while on Monday only one case had been reported.

The total active cases stood at 53 on Sunday. The recovery rate on Sunday remained the same at 98.98 per cent. Around 47 patients are in home isolation. The number of patients undergoing treatment at hospitals has risen to six on Sunday from two on Saturday.

A total of 4,368 samples were collected on Sunday and the positivity rate for the day stood at 0.21 per cent. Around 2,69,29,260 samples have been collected till now.