Officials postpone Shri Hemkunt Sahib Yatra as COVID-19 cases continue to surge across Uttarakhand

New Delhi, Apr 26: Amid the increase in coronavirus cases in India, Shri Hemkunt Sahib Yatra has been postponed on Sunday. The Yatra for Sri Hemkunt Sahib Gurudwara situated in the hilly district of Chamoli was scheduled to start on May 10. It is believed that the 10th Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh, had meditated at Hemkund in his previous birth.

Meanwhile, the district authorities in Dehradun imposed a week-long curfew from Monday evening to tackle the surge in coronavirus cases. The curfew will begin at 7 pm on Monday and go on till 5 am on May 3, an order issued by Dehradun DM Ashish Kumar Shrivastava said.

The order applies to the whole of the district, including the Rishikesh Municipal Corporation area, Garhi Cantt and Clement Town.

According to the order, movement of private vehicles will remain completely banned during the period. Ration shops and those selling vegetables, fruits and dairy products will be open till 4 pm.

However, medicine shops, filling stations and LPG agencies will remain open throughout the day. Before the fresh orders, a night curfew from 7 pm to 5 am has already been in force in Dehradun.

Coronavirus cases have gone up sharply in Uttarakhand over the past few days with Dehradun accounting for the maximum number of infections. With 1,670 cases, Dehradun led the COVID tally in the state on Sunday too.

India is witnessing an unprecedented rise in coronavirus cases and the second wave of pandemic has gripped the country. The country reported 3,49,691 new COVID-19 cases, 2,767 deaths and 2,17,113 discharges on Sunday, taking the total cases tally to 1,69,60,172. There are 26,82,751 active cases in India currently.