Coronavirus / Haryana bans public celebration of Holi amid rising Covid-19 cases

Chandigarh: Following the footsteps of Delhi, Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the Haryana government on Wednesday announced that public celebration of the Holi festival will not be permitted in the state in wake of the alarming Covid-19 situation in the country.

Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij made the announcement on social media platform Twitter.

The state has so far reported more than 2,82,000 coronavirus cases, and over 3,100 casualties due to the deadly outbreak.

The move comes on a day the Centre asked states and Union Territories to take a call on whether to impose local restrictions in view of the upcoming festivals as coronavirus cases spike at an alarming rate across the country.

The central government also asked states/UTs to limit or do away with mass gatherings for effective control of the outbreak.

Arti Ahuja, Additional Secretary to the Health Ministry, wrote to state chief secretaries and UT administrators that the battle against Covid-19 is at a critical juncture as the number of cases and deaths are rising across the country.

“...in view of the upcoming festivals such as Holi, Shab-e-Barat, Bihu, Easter and Eid-ul-Fitr, etc., it is strongly advised that states may consider imposing local restrictions in public observance of these festivals and limit/do away with mass gatherings in exercise of the powers conferred under Section 22 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005,” the letter read.

She also asked the states and UTs to refer to the order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on March 23 for effective control of Covid-19, and attached the Delhi Disaster Management Authority order also for reference.

“Any laxity at this point in ensuring strict adherence to various SOPs issued by the Ministry of Health to contain the spread of COVID-19 may result in losing the impetus and benefits that our country has gained so far in managing the virus. Strict adherence to COVID-19-appropriate behaviour in public places and gathering is the key to break the chain of transmission and reduce the incidence of cases in the country,” Ahuja’s letter stated.