PUDUCHERRY: The Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi (TVK)’s Puducherry state organiser S Sridhar has filed a public interest litigation in the Madras High Court seeking a direction to the Puducherry government to ban the New Year celebrations here in view of the Omicron threat after two cases were detected in the Union territory.
Cases of the Omicron variant are currently on the rise across the country. The Union Health Ministry has said that the number of Omicron infections currently being diagnosed will rise as it spreads faster. Tamil Nadu, a neighbouring state of Puducherry, was hit by an outbreak last week and various preventive measures are being taken.
In Tamil Nadu and other states including Karnataka and Kerala, New Year celebrations have been banned in public places. These states have imposed various other restrictions to prevent the spread of the variant.
Two people have been infected with Omicron in Puducherry at a time when the Union Health Ministry has announced that state governments should impose a number of restrictions to prevent its spread.
However, tourists and the general public are allowed to gather at 45 places in Puducherry to celebrate the New Year. People from several states which are witnessing cases of Omicron are arriving in Puducherry to participate in the festivities. This could lead to faster transmission of the virus in Puducherry, he said.
According to Sridhar, the case is coming up for hearing before a division bench in the afternoon on Wednesday.