Himachal CM Seeks Punjab Counterpart’s Help To Enforce Covid Norms At Fair

Raising apprehensions about upcoming mega religious fair at Mairi in Una district, bordering Punjab, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said he would seek the help of his Punjab counterpart to enforce strict Covid restrictions.

The Punjab authorities will be asked to keep close tabs on all coronavirus-positive cases and restrict their movement to Himachal Pradesh.

The chief minister, however, has ruled out possibilities of any lockdown or cancelling of the event, which attracts 15 to 16 lakh pilgrims every year during Holi. The visitors come from all over India, including Punjab, Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir.

“We have equal respect for all the religions. There is no plan to cancel any upcoming religious fair. Only a few days ago, we had celebrated Mahashivratri at Mandi. We will keep a close watch and appeal to pilgrims to follow all recommended measures, including wearing face masks and social-distancing norms,” said the chief minister after he attended CMs’ meeting convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to review the situation relating to the second Covid wave in the states.

The 10-day Mairi fair, also known as Hola Mohalla festival, is held in Amb tehsil of Una every year at the religious seat of Dera Baba Gurbharbhag Singh. A visit to the “dera” (the holy shrine) is believed to cure patients possessed by evil spirits. Thus, this event attracts massive footfall.

Thakur said since Punjab is a neighbouring state and Himachal Pradesh gets hundreds of tourists, pilgrims and devotes from there, his Punjab counterpart Captain Amarinder Singh has also voiced concern over the possibility of a second virus wave in the country.

“I will speak to him and work out some protocols to regulate the arrivals of pilgrims to this fair from Punjab where the virus cases are rising,” he added.

The chief minister said the district administration has been told to evolve strict SoPs to be followed during the fair. Otherwise the situation in Himachal Pradesh, though under control, can also go out of hand.

The active cases in Himachal Pradesh which had dropped down to 218 on February 23, now stand at 818. More than 550 teachers at educational institutions recently opened after the lockdown have tested positive. A private university in Sirmaur district is in the grip of coronavirus with 123 students testing positive.

The districts of Sirmaur, Solan, Kangra, Una have become hotspots over the past two weeks, hinting at a second wave.

The chief minister said the government has decided to declare Covid-hit areas as micro-containment zones instead of imposing lockdowns. The government will enforce contact tracing of every case very effectively.

In Himachal Pradesh, over 1.78 lakh people have been administered vaccines, which is about 2.6 per cent of the total population, the chief minister said.