Dehradun (Uttarakhand) : Amid a massive surge in the COVID-19 cases, the Uttarakhand government on Thursday suspended the Char Dham Yatra for this year. The yatra was scheduled to start from May 14.

Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat said that only priests of the four temples will perform rituals and puja.

“Uttarakhand government has suspended Char Dham Yatra this year in view of COVID-19 situation in the state. Only priests of the four temples will perform rituals and puja,” said Rawat.

The Chief Minister said that the decision has been taken in view of the rising cases of coronavirus infections.

The four pilgrimage sites are Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Gangotri in Uttarakhand.

Uttarakhand had recorded 6,054 new COVID-19 cases and 108 deaths on Wednesday. There are 45,383 active COVID-19 cases in the state, while 1,17,221 have recovered, as per the state health department.