Hyderabad: The combination of Ramzan, Eid and other festivals with the ongoing second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has all come at the same time Telangana, and is likely to pose a big challenge to the state government, which have to deal with various issues at the same time.
The month of Ramzan commenced on April 13, and will continue till May 13. During the month, most people venture out in the evenings to either eat, or do some shopping. This time however, sales are down as crowds are relatively sparse in the Old City. Similarly, Sri Ram Navami will be celebrated on April 21 and a week later on April 27, Hanuman Jayanti will be celebrated.
Since a large number of people participate in these festivals, the state government is taking precautionary measures to stop the spread of the virus. The state government is ensuring that people are not gathered in large numbers in one place. Moreover, it has also ruled out imposing a lockdown, meaning that there will mostly not be any kind of restrictions.
State health minister Etela Rajender earlier this week said that the state government was not expecting the second wave of Corona, but that in view of surging cases, the limitations are being imposed. On Saturday, a whopping 4,400 plus cases were reported in the state. In spite of the government’s appeal to use a face mask or face a fine of Rs 1,000, many in the state can still be seen violating the rule.
In the current situation, it is felt that the police and the municipal officials must strictly impose the health rules during the month-long festival season. People are appealed to use face mask, maintain social distancing, curtail numbers in ceremonies. The government officials have also appealed to the religious and local leaders to not allow large numbers of people in the mosques and exhort them to use face masks, hand sanitizers and avoid Iftar parties.