Governments, people should work together to curb the spread of Covid: Kejriwal on 'Kanwar Yatra'

Governments and people should together take all the steps to curb the spread of the coronavirus, Delhi Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Thursday, referring to the ''Kanwar Yatra''.

The Supreme Court issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday for allowing the ''Kanwar Yatra'' in the state in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

''The Covid pandemic is a very serious matter. All governments and the people should take all those steps necessary to fight it,'' Kejriwal said when asked for his views on the ''Kanwar Yatra'' during the pandemic on the sidelines of an event at the Delhi Assembly.

The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has allowed the ''yatra'' from July 25, despite concerns raised in various quarters over the risk posed by such events in triggering a possible third wave of Covid.

However, another BJP-ruled state, Uttarakhand, has cancelled the ''yatra''.

Each year, during the rainy season, devotees in many states undertake the ''Kanwar Yatra'' to collect water from the Ganga and other rivers and offer it at the temples of Lord Shiva in major pilgrim centres.