A fresh set of COVID guidelines issued by the Uttarakhand govt says that the Char Dham Yatra will commence from July 1.
A fresh set of COVID guidelines issued by the Uttarakhand government says that the Char Dham Yatra will commence from July 1. However, this doesn't sit right with Uttarakhand High Court's recent order against holding Char Dham Yatra this year.
The Uttarakhand HC had on Monday stayed state Cabinet's decision of conducting the pilgrimage with limited number of people. On the contrary, the state government has announced commencement dates for both phases for the journey.
According to freshly issued guidelines, the first phase will begin from July 1, and the second from July 11. A negative COVID report is mandatory for the journey.
The court had also ordered live streaming of Char Dham shrines and the next hearing date is July 7.
The Uttarakhand High Court had directed the state government to frame a standard operating procedure for the Char Dham yatra, asking to not replicate what happened during the Kumbh Mela. The court had observed that SOPs were submitted one day prior to the Kumbh Mela, which was responsible for the spike in coronavirus cases.
Earlier, residents from Chamoli, Uttarkashi and Rudraprayag districts were barred from participating in the Char Dham Yatra. However, the state cabinet later announced that Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri will be opened for residents of these districts with a cap on the number of pilgrims.
