2-Day Holi Celebrations In Prayagraj As UP Cities Tackle Covid Surge

Asked about the flagrant violation of Covid norms, district administrations appeared to be passing the buck.

Despite a worrying upsurge in coronavirus cases in Uttar Pradesh, three top hotspot districts celebrated the Holi festival without following any Covid protocols. Varanasi, Mathura and Prayagraj - the state's major religious tourism destinations - witnessed large crowds that came out on the streets ignoring Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's appeal to keep the coronavirus situation in mind while celebrating the festival. Shockingly, in Prayagraj, where fresh cases have risen by 78 percent in a week, massive crowds without masks celebrated the festival on two consecutive days. This comes even as Uttar Pradesh emerged on top of the list of nine states where cases have doubled in a week. A majority of Uttar Pradesh's cases are in the capital Lucknow, which reported 499 fresh cases on Monday. Varanasi, Mathura and Prayagraj are among the top five Covid hotspots of the state Asked about the flagrant violation of Covid norms, district administrations appeared to be passing the buck. "And what of the people? They are not guilty? Should the administration go and roam around with a stick? We have been disseminating information since last year about this - Should the public not listen to us?" Dr Prabhakar Rai, Prayagraj's Chief Medical Officer, told NDTV.