Karnataka bans Holi, Ugadi, Good Friday, Shab-e-Barat festivities in public as second wave of Covid grips India
1 min read . Updated: 26 Mar 2021, 09:45 AM IST
Premium- The restrictions include public gatherings and congregations in public grounds, parks, markets and religious places
Amid fears of a second coronavirus wave and a surge in infections in Karnataka, the state government has decided to ban public gatherings for upcoming festivals such as Holi, Ugadi, Shab-e-Barat and Good Friday across the state.
The restrictions include public gatherings and congregations in public grounds, parks, markets and religious places.
Issuing an order on Thursday, the state government has directed that all authorities concerned, including the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner and Deputy Commissioners, must ensure strict compliance of the order.
Sharing the order on Twitter, Karnataka Health and Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar said, "In order to contain the second wave of Covid-19, public celebrations, gatherings and congregations shall not be allowed during the upcoming festivals like Holi, Ugadi, Shab-e-Barat & Good Friday."
"Let's celebrate festivals in a simple, meaningful way and stop the spread of infection," he added.
The order also warns of action under the Disaster Management Act, IPC and Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Act, against those violating the guidelines.
On Thursday, Sudhakar announced that all passengers travelling to Bengaluru will need to carry a negative Covid-19 test (RT-PCR) report. Earlier, the Karnataka government had made carrying a negative test report compulsory only for those entering the state from Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab and Chandigarh.
Karnataka received 4 lakh Covid doses
The Karnataka Health Minister has also informed that the state has received four lakh doses of Covid-19 vaccine on Wednesday night and said the state government has taken measures to ensure no shortage of doses.
"Karnataka received four lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccine late last night and another tranche of 12 lakh doses expected to arrive by this week. Measures have been taken to ensure that there is no shortage of vaccine in the State," Sudhakar said.
According to the Union Health Ministry, 30,29,544 Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered so far in Karnataka.
At present, there are 15,614 active coronavirus cases in the state. 9,45,594 recovered from the disease while 12,449 died.
