<p>New Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat announced on Saturday that pilgrims arriving for the Kumbh mela would no longer need a negative RT-PCR test report.</p>.<p>Speaking to <em>The Times of India</em>, Rawat <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/covid-ve-report-not-needed-for-kumbh-says-new-uttarakhand-cm/articleshow/81489983.cms" target="_blank">said</a>, "Kumbh happens only after 12 years. We don’t want people to miss out on the opportunity of experiencing the festival.”</p>.<p>Former Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat had issued protocols making a negative RT-PCR report a must for pilgrims. The Kumbh is slated to go on till the end of April.</p>.<p>Recognised as a cultural heritage by UNESCO, the last edition of the Kumbh — in Allahabad in 2019 — attracted around 55 million people over 48 days.</p>.<p>This year Haridwar is the host, and lakhs of people are expected to throng the holy city in Uttarakhand.</p>.<p> It is expected that about 10 lakh people will attend the fair on a normal day and about 50 lakh people will attend the mela on auspicious days.</p>.<p>"All we want is the happiness of saints, devotees, traders and locals. We will ensure that Covid-19 norms are followed and the required health infrastructure is available for Kumbh," Tirath Singh Rawat said.</p>
<p>New Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat announced on Saturday that pilgrims arriving for the Kumbh mela would no longer need a negative RT-PCR test report.</p>.<p>Speaking to <em>The Times of India</em>, Rawat <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/covid-ve-report-not-needed-for-kumbh-says-new-uttarakhand-cm/articleshow/81489983.cms" target="_blank">said</a>, "Kumbh happens only after 12 years. We don’t want people to miss out on the opportunity of experiencing the festival.”</p>.<p>Former Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat had issued protocols making a negative RT-PCR report a must for pilgrims. The Kumbh is slated to go on till the end of April.</p>.<p>Recognised as a cultural heritage by UNESCO, the last edition of the Kumbh — in Allahabad in 2019 — attracted around 55 million people over 48 days.</p>.<p>This year Haridwar is the host, and lakhs of people are expected to throng the holy city in Uttarakhand.</p>.<p> It is expected that about 10 lakh people will attend the fair on a normal day and about 50 lakh people will attend the mela on auspicious days.</p>.<p>"All we want is the happiness of saints, devotees, traders and locals. We will ensure that Covid-19 norms are followed and the required health infrastructure is available for Kumbh," Tirath Singh Rawat said.</p>