Dehradun: As Uttarakhand has allowed residents of the state to undertake the Char Dham Yatra from July 1 amid COVID-19, the state government will issue guidelines for pilgrimage for the people of the three districts.
Government spokesperson Subodh Uniyal said that these three districts are Chamoli, Uttarkashi and Rudraprayag. Uniyal also mentioned that the state government will take all necessary steps to follow the COVID-19 protocol, and ensure that the priests are vaccinated against COVID-19. The four pilgrimage sites in Uttarakhand are Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Gangotri.
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This comes as the state cabinet has decided to partially open the Chardham Yatra to a limited number of local people from July 1. Initially, the yatra will be opened to residents of Chamoli, Uttarkashi and Rudraprayag districts, with the number of pilgrims visiting the temples. daily.
Uniyal said it would be mandatory for each pilgrim to bring a negative RT-PCR/Rapid Antigen test report and the standard operating procedure (SOP) to be followed while visiting the temples by the pilgrims would be issued separately. When asked whether the Chardham Yatra would open for pilgrims from across the state, he said it would depend on the overall COVID situation.
“We have taken into account the predictions about the third wave and delta mutants of the pandemic before proceeding with the decision to open travel for the entire state,” the official said. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) data, there are 2,627 active cases in Uttarakhand.
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