After festival-related gatherings, there could be a sudden rise in cases: Harsh Vardhan

Oct. 11: With festivals lined up to be celebrated by the people, the aftereffects of which may result in surge in the number of coronavirus cases. The festival-related gatherings could be one such cause for a sudden rise in cases, said Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Sunday.

Cautioning the people, the Health Minister said, “My duty is to protect my people, to save lives and not destroy them. No religion or God says that you have to celebrate in an ostentatious way, there is no need to congregate in large numbers to prove your faith. No Gods say you need to go to big pandals to pray. If you know there is fire outside and you still go out in the fire in the name of religion — what’s the point of such festivals,” said the Union health minister.

But with Durga Puja, Dussehra, Diwali and Chhath puja around the corner, there is concern about covid numbers spiking as people drop the use of all safety norms. Large gatherings are already happening. A shopping rush has already started and images from the city’s key market areas show huge crowds where many people have even ditched the mask.

Addressing his weekly social media interaction programme Sunday Samvaad, Harsh Vardhan said, “SARS Cov 2 is a respiratory virus and the transmission of respiratory viruses is known to increase during the colder weather. Respiratory viruses thrive better in cold weather and low humidity conditions.” The minister also cited the examples of the European countries, especially the United Kingdom, where the number of infections has gone up with the advent of winter. The minister said that the possibility of the same in Indian context can’t be dismissed at all.

With the winter season approaching fast, Assam’s Director General of Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta on Saturday appealed to the people of the state to take proper precautions against the COVID-19 that has already killed several lakh people across the globe.

Indian health ministry data Sunday showed a rise of almost 75,000 cases, taking the total to 7.05 million — second only to the US which has recorded 7.67 million infections.