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 In a pilgrimage this month, thousands of Hindus are set to walk
hundreds of miles across northern cities, carrying pitchers of water
from the Ganges, a river they consider sacred.
The pilgrims could act as "super spreaders" and set off a third wave
of infections, a top medical body has warned.
The Supreme Court this week questioned federal and state authorities
in the most populous state of Uttar Pradesh why the mass religious
gathering should be allowed.
The home ministry flagged the increase in the infective rate as a
cause for concern in some states, urging officials nationwide to
enforce social distancing and clamp down on overcrowding at tourist
sites.
"We must guard ourselves against complacency and laxity, which creep
in as positivity declines," Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla told them in
a letter on Wednesday, at a time when most cities have lifted strict
lockdowns.
INFECTIVITY JUMPS
The effective reproduction rate of the disease, which health experts
call the "R" factor, now stands at 0.86 in the world's second most
populous nation, online publication Our World in Data shows, a jump
of more than 25% in a month.
Bhalla warned of the risk of a faster spread of infection when the
rate exceeds 1.
"You may be aware that any increase in 'R' factor above 1.0 is an
indicator of spread of COVID-19," he added.
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 Still, the website showed the
0.86 figure is off an April 9 peak of 1.47.
By May, that had propelled India's daily cases to a staggering
400,000, leaving thousands in cities, including the capital New
Delhi, scrambling for oxygen, hospital beds, ambulances and
ultimately, morgues.
Bodies washed up on the banks of the Ganges.
States had largely lifted curbs as infections slowed, but the second
wave has not yet ended, top officials have warned.
India's tally of 30.99 million infections is second only to the
United States, with 411,989 deaths.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has warned against overcrowding and
called for vigilance against new variants, saying vaccination
efforts needed to be sped up.
India is trying to inoculate all 950 million adults by year-end, but
vaccine shortages and logistics hurdles have meant just 8% have
received both doses.
(Reporting by Ankur Banerjee in Bengaluru and Neha Arora in New
Delhi, additional reporting by Suchitra Mohanty ; Editing by
Clarence Fernandez)
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