No Chhath puja at public places in Delhi due to COVID-19: DDMA
NEW DELHI: As the national capital witnesses an unprecedented surge in the coronavirus infections, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has instructed officials to ensure that Chhath Puja this year is not performed at public places, river banks and temples in the city.
After reviewing the situation and frequent surge in the daily count of Covid cases, the DDMA has decided not to grant permission for the public celebrations. The Chhath Puja celebrations will start on the evening of November 20 and continue till the next morning.
An order issued by chief secretary and DDMA executive committee chairman Vijay Dev on Tuesday, the authority has advised citizens to observe the festival at home.
“It has been decided that Chhath Pooja celebrations in the month of November 2020 may not be allowed in public places and people may be advised to celebrate the festival at their home only,” the order stated. Till Tuesday, 4,51,382 Covid-19 cases were reported in Delhi with the average daily count this week hovering around 7,000-mark.
The order has also directed all local authorities — district magistrates (DMs) and deputy commissioners of police (DCPs) for strict compliance. It also asked them to inform field functionaries about the restrictions on the public celebrations on the occasion of Chhath.
It said concerned authorities and officials would convene meetings with religious and community leaders to encourage pilgrims and citizens to observe the festivities associated with puja at home.
“It is also directed that DMs and district DCsP shall convene meetings with religious and community leaders and Chhath Puja samitis before the festival to get their cooperation to maintain law and order and harmony and also to sanitize public for compliance of guidelines, instructions issued for combating Covid-19 by the government of India from time to time,” said the order.
‘Third peak may subside soon’
The duration of the third peak of the spread of Covid-19 in Delhi is longer than those of the previous peaks but it may subside in the next few days, Health Minister Satyendar Jain said on Wednesday. He asserted that the government has significantly ramped up testing by nearly three times on an average per day compared to the number of tests conducted when the second peak had hit around September 16.