The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday issued guidelines and standard operating procedure (SOP) for Navratri celebrations.
Idols are to be only 2 or 4 feet tall and mandals will be required to take prior permission, according to an official notice issued. The mandaps must be sanitized thrice a day and no flowers and sweets will be allowed. Not more than five people will be allowed in mandap and mask and social distancing will be mandatory.
Online darshan is encouraged but physical darshan will be allowed with Covid safety protocols. Officials told PTI no ‘garba’ events will be allowed during the festival. Garba is a popular folk dance of Gujarat which is performed by devotees during the Navratri festival.
Immersion of household idols should be done at homes by devotees if it is not possible for them to go to the nearest immersion point set up by the civic body.
Only five people can take part in immersion of household idols and 10 devotees in those installed by community groups. In both cases, people taking part in immersion should be fully vaccinated against coronavirus, the official said. People will not be allowed to submerge idols, which will have to be handed over to BMC officials at immersion points.
The notice comes a day after Delhi allowed gatherings, including Ramleela celebrations, during the upcoming festival season with strict compliance to Covid norms.
The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal. “After a detailed discussion with experts, the need to strictly follow and enforce Covid-appropriate behaviour (CAB) was emphasised upon especially in wake of the upcoming festive season to prevent any resurgence of infection,” Baijal tweeted after the meeting.
Mumbai reported 458 new coronavirus cases and seven deaths taking its cumulative case tally to 7,42,996 and toll to 16,110. There is not a single Covid-19 containment zone in the city at present, while the count of buildings that have been sealed to contain the spread of the infection is 46.
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