Officials claim that hundreds of Sikh pilgrims among the 800 who traveled to Pakistan to celebrate Baisakhi tested positive for coronavirus upon their return.
On the last day of Baisakhi, Sikh devotees from India visited Lahore’s Gurdwara Panja Sahib. According to officials, 100 of them tested positive after taking a quick antigen screen. A total of 350 people were screened for COVID-19 using the rapid antigen process.
Officials also stated that some of those who have returned to Amritsar will now be screened using the more reliable RT-PCR process.
According to officials, the Foreign Ministry has been in contact with the pilgrims to ensure their safety.
Over 1,100 Sikh pilgrims were granted visas by the Pakistani High Commission in Delhi for Baisakhi travel. Every year, a significant number of pilgrims from India visit Pakistan to attend festivals under the umbrella of the 1974 Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines.
According to government statistics, there are approximately 38,000 active COVID-19 cases in Punjab. The state was among the first, along with Maharashtra and Gujarat, to record an increase in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, before the epidemic spread across the country in what is now being considered a deadlier second wave.
This time of year, a number of people are complaining of shortness of breath, which necessitates the use of oxygen. However, due to the sudden increase in demand across cities and towns, the availability of oxygen has been severely limited.
People have taken to social media to organize assistance, while state governments and the federal government are both collaborating with the private sector to expedite the delivery of oxygen.
Baisakhi is a spring harvest festival celebrated by Sikhs and Hindus alike. It celebrates the Sikh new year and the founding of the Khalsa Panth (saint warriors) under Guru Gobind Singh in 1699.
