Omicron variant LIVE Updates: Ganga Sagar Mela commences with strict protocols amid rising cases

Omicron variant India LIVE Updates: After the Calcutta High Court gave the go-ahead to organise the Ganga Sagar Mela, on Wednesday it commenced with strict COVID-19 protocols.West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the Ganga Sagar Mela, which is held annually at Gangasagar in West Bengal. Speaking to news agency ANI, South 24 Parganas District Magistrate Dr P Ulganathan said that Ganga Sagar Mela has been organised as compared to those organised during the COVID-19 pandemic. "Gangasagar Mela is the biggest fair in the Eastern part of India. Here every year lakhs of devotees and sadhus come. But this time due to COVID-19, all our preparations have become complicated and a lot of extra preparation had to be done. We have made a massive arrangement for COVID management, in all the entry points. We are doing medical screening at every entry point and have made many such arrangements which range from thermal checking to sanitization. We are also doing rapid antigen tests of pilgrims and sadhus coming to the Mela. In all the buses arranged, more than 50 per cent of the capacity people are not being brought," said Ulganathan. He further said that the water ambulance and air ambulance is also available on the ground for COVID infected people. Random testing is being done to not know whether people are infected or not, he added."We have done deployed doctors, police and volunteers at the mass level. We were able to manage all the people who are coming here," he said.He further said that all the activities of the Mela are being monitored from the Mega Control Room. CCTV cameras and drones are being used to keep an eye on each and every activity of the Mela. Meanwhile, Maharashtra continues to record the maximum Omicron cases followed by Rajasthan, Delhi, Karnataka, and Kerala. Also, several states have imposed restrictions and night curfew, to curb the spread of the infection.

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