India Celebrates Holi: Avoid Gatherings And Other COVID-19 Safety Guidelines Issued By Government

Meanwhile, with 2,528 new COVID-19 cases being reported in a day, India's infection tally now stands at 4,30,04,005.

Urging people to celebrate the festival of colours without congregating on a large scale, and following the COVID safety protocols while celebrating the occasion, the Maharashtra government issues fresh guidelines. The Maharashtra government has made it clear that Dhulivandan and Rangpanchami should be celebrated in a simple manner asking people against taking 'palkhi' (palanquin) processions to households during the festival. Read on to know the safety guidelines that the government has issued.

Holi Celebration Guidelines

1. All the Holi celebrations should end by 10 pm and banned the use of loudspeakers.
2. The government has urged that the festival should possibly be celebrated without crowding and by observing proper Covid-appropriate behaviour.
3. The government has also advised people against taking 'palkhi' (palanquin) processions to households during the festival. This is done as it can increase the risk of COVID spread.
4. Local administration should (instead) arrange for darshan (of palkhi) at the local temple. Also, they have been asked to make sure there is no crowd.
5. The local administrations have been asked to ensure that Covid-appropriate behaviour is not violated at any point.

Apart from the above-listed safety guidelines, in order to make this Holi safe from COVID, you should also:

1. Stay away from the crowd
2. Keep a hand sanitization
3. Do not shake hands and hug people
4. Do not eat anything using your hands without washing them first

India Fights COVID

Meanwhile, with 2,528 new COVID-19 cases being reported in a day, India's infection tally now stands at 4,30,04,005, while the count of active cases fell below 30,000 after around 685 days, according to the Union Health Ministry on Friday. The count of active cases has declined to 29,181 which comprises 0.07 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has further improved to 98.73 per cent, the health ministry said.

A total of 5,16,281 COVID-19 deaths have been reported so far in the country, including 1,43,762 from Maharashtra, 67,138 from Kerala, 40,028 from Karnataka, 38,025 from Tamil Nadu, 26,145 from Delhi, 23,492 from Uttar Pradesh, and 21,192 from West Bengal.

So, if you are also celebrating Holi this year, make sure to follow the basic safety protocols to stay safe from the deadly COVID-19 infection. Happy Holi!

(With inputs from Agencies)