Agra: After a brief respite in February, the recent surge in Covid-19 cases has alarmed the authorities.

A slew of strict measures has now been announced to contain the surge which is impacting tourist arrivals also.

Mathura has reported 61 cases in one day. The situation continues to worry the local administration, as at least three cases of a new variant have been identified.

Agra has recorded 177 deaths from Covid-19 since March 2020. The number of samples tested in the district is 622790.

From zero, a fortnight ago, the cases have been steadily rising each day.

Health workers in Mathura blamed the Holi celebrations started a week ago in Mathura district, while in Agra the district administration was targeted for being lenient towards the hospitality industry. As more and more tourists have been visiting Agra, the chances of spreading infection have increased, a social activist Shravan Kumar Singh said.

The authorities have warned the people to strictly follow the guidelines and not to attend public functions without masks. A large number of programmes on Holi were cancelled including the Holi fair in the Paliwal park by the Agra Municipal Corporation.