Haridwar reported over 1,000 COVID-19 cases in just two days as lakhs took a dip in the Ganga on the second shahi snan (royal bath) on April 12. (Image: Reuters)

Uttarakhand on April 13 recorded the highest single-day spike in coronavirus cases and deaths this year as 1,925 more people tested positive and 13 patients succumbed to the virus. (Image: Reuters)

At least 594 cases were reported in Haridwar, pushing the city's active caseload to 2,812. (Image: Reuters)

Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat appealed to the people to follow COVID guidelines during the third Shahi Snan on April 14, a day after all precautions were brazenly ignored during the event. (Image: Reuters)

Rawat said separate timings for the holy dip by each Akhada at Har ki Pauri have been earmarked while the rest of the Ghats will be open for devotees and asked all to wear masks, maintain social distancing, and sanitise their hands. (Image: Reuters)

Masks were not worn by a large proportion of devotees and social distancing appeared impossible at an event in which, according to Rawat, about 35 lakh people participated. (Image: Reuters)

CM also said that Kumbh comes once in 12 years and is linked with the faith and sentiments of millions of people. "Holding it successfully amid the challenge posed by Covid-19 by ensuring that the SOP is strictly followed by all is our goal," he said. (Image: Reuters)

Held once every three years, Kumbh Mela is often labelled the world's largest religious gathering, but the 2021 event has posed a challenge to health officials who are struggling to enforce pandemic safety measures. (Image: Reuters)

After many decades, Kumbh Mela is again being held during a pandemic which is also the most significant health epidemic since the 1918 influenza or Spanish Flu outbreak. Three waves of the Spanish Flu epidemic then had killed around 50 to 100 million people globally in 1918 and 1919. The outbreak that infected more than 500 million people killed around 18 million people in India (Image: Reuters)

And Kumbh Mela in Haridwar is once again being held in the time of a health emergency. The festival attracts the largest human gathering in the world and the current mela is estimated to attract one million people daily or around five million people on the three more auspicious days. Overall, the festival is estimated to attract between 100 to 150 million people. (Image: Reuters)

On paper, every COVID-19 norm is expected to be followed. But when the sole focus is on crowd management, it’s impossible to impose norms like social distancing and mandatory testing at the mela place or even distributing hand sanitisers. (Image: Reuters)

The religious event could well end up as a super-spreader with 102 people already found positive in the tests done on Monday. Such a large mass gathering, in fact, can be a Covid hotspot in itself as it may carry many silent carriers who, naturally, may not go through the local testing process but can infect a great number of people in the mela area or wherever they travel. Haridwar, in the last two days, has seen over 1,000 Covid cases with active caseload data at 2,812 cases. (Image: Reuters)

This year’s Kumbh festival is again being held in similar circumstances like in the 19th century and, to some extent, in early years of 20th century in northern India when epidemics like cholera and plague were the main deterrents for the authorities. Haridwar and Allahabad held Kumbh Mela at a 12-year interval and Ardh Kumbh festivals at a six-year interval. (Image: Reuters)

In pics | Here's how crowd gathered at the Kumbh Mela festival turned super-spreaders

Kumbh Mela: Masks were not worn by a large proportion of devotees and social distancing appeared impossible.