Amarnath Yatra cancelled due to Coronavirus outbreak

Amarnath Yatra due this year due to Corona epidemic has been canceled. The Amarnath Shrine Board has canceled the yatra starting on 23 June. Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu has taken this decision in an important meeting held at Raj Bhavan in Jammu on Wednesday.

There are 407 positive patients in Jammu and Kashmir, out of which 351 are from Kashmir itself. 10 districts of the Kashmir Valley from where the Amarnath Yatra passes are affected by the coronavirus. Four districts Srinagar, Baramula, Bandipora and Kupwara have been declared hot spots. Shrinathji Board Chairman and Lieutenant Governor Murmu have noted the same thing. According to them, in the route through which the journey has to pass, there are 77 red zones. Langars and camps have to be prepared for the journey. Also, medical facilities have to be mobilized, which is not possible in the midst of this pandemic. According to the board, what will happen after May 3 is also not decided yet and the safety of devotees is important. However, the board has decided that the first prayer and the last prayer will be done in the traditional way. The possibility will also be considered that the telecast of worship and darshan of Baba Barfani be done online.

As per the schedule, registrations for this trip were to begin on 1 April. Removal of snow from the route is done months before the journey starts, while this time there is still many feet of snow. In Jammu, the Yatri Niwas, which used to be the base camp of Amarnath pilgrims, remains a quarantine center these days. The border of Jammu and Kashmir is sealed and the arrival of any vehicle other than the essential goods is prohibited. Local people associated with the tourism industry wait for this journey every year.