7 cops on Magh Mela duty test Covid positive

Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh), Jan 12 (IANS) With just a day left for the Magh Mela to begin on 'Makar Sankranti', seven policemen on Mela duty have tested positive for Covid.

They had arrived on the Mela campus from different parts of the state on duty.

Health officials are now trying to trace and test the contacts of these policemen.

The Mela police has tested around 2,000 policemen from January 1 to 10 and seven of them came out positive. They have been kept in isolation camps till recovery.

Further, testing of employees, officials of various government departments and members of different organisations who have arrived for Magh Mela duty or are setting up camps on Mela campus has been intensified.

Superintendent of Police (SP) (Magh Mela) Rajiv Narayan Mishra said, "All seven policemen had complained about mild symptoms. Around 5,000 policemen, ranging from constables to additional SP, on Mela duty, would now be tested."

He claimed that all preventive measures have been initiated and wearing of masks made mandatory.

The state government has said that a negative RT-PCR report of the 48 hours would be mandatory for those arriving at the Magh Mela.

The Magh Mela is an annual festival that is held in the month of 'Magh' near river banks in Prayagraj.

The devotees take the holy dip at Sangam, the confluence of Yamuna, Ganga, and mythological Saraswati.

During the entire month of Magh Mela, lakhs of pilgrims stay on the banks of Sangam in tents and take an early morning bath and participate in other religious duties.