Anandpur Sahib: The fresh surge of Covid-19 cases in Punjab, the state with the highest mortality rate in India, did not act as a dampener for Hola Mohalla celebrations held Monday.
Instead, thousands of people gathered to celebrate the spring festival, whose celebrations began on 24 March in the city of Anandpur Sahib.
Sunday, Punjab registered more than 2,900 cases, with Jalandhar recording 489, followed by Ludhiana (437), Amritsar (372), Patiala (307), Mohali (291) and Hoshiarpur (289).
ThePrint found that no Covid protocols were being followed at the festival grounds and even inside the premises of the main gurdwara, Takhat Sri Kesgarh Sahib. Social distancing norms and masks were absent.
However, regular visitors to the shrine said the footfall in the Hola Mohalla festivities this year was lower than other years, since trains are not running. Many also said that since a lot of farmers are engaged in the protests at the Delhi-Haryana border, while others cited the pandemic as a reason for the ‘low’ attendance.
Here are some snapshots from the celebrations.
(Edited by Rachel John)
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