Concerns as poll rallies continue in India despite Covid surge

dpa New Delhi India’s political parties are organising huge rallies and events for key state elections despite a Covid-19 surge, sparking concern among exp...

dpaNew DelhiIndia’s political parties are organising huge rallies and events for key state elections despite a Covid-19 surge, sparking concern among experts.Rampant violations of Covid-19 restrictions have been observed at the rallies held in five states, including India’s most populous province of Uttar Pradesh, which go to polls by March.Tens of thousands gathered to attend rallies addressed by leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, without physical distancing or wearing masks even as India registered a 22-per-cent jump in Covid-19 cases recently.On Tuesday, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who addressed rallies without a mask in states like Punjab and Uttarakhand, said he had tested positive for Covid-19.Twitter users criticised the politician for attending the events despite having symptoms of the disease.On the weekend, scores of people lined up roads and gathered at a rally by Modi in Uttar Pradesh where opposition and regional leaders also held roadshows and events.After last year’s election rallies contributed to a second wave of cases in India that left tens of thousands dead, fresh elections have worried health experts and public alike.CriticisedIndians lashed out at politicians for the potential super-spreader events and called for a ban on political events. Several states have announced restrictions to check infections.On Tuesday, more than 37,000 new Covid-19 cases were reported in the country with a population of 1.3 billion, Health Ministry data showed, the highest numbers since early September.Virologists say the third wave of Covid-19 may have already started in India, fuelled by the highly infectious Omicron variant, which could see up to 60,000 people hospitalised every day.