UP lockdown guidelines revised; only 25 people allowed at weddings, events
The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has now issued fresh directives, allowing a maximum of 25 people to take part in weddings and other functions in view of the Coovid pandemic. In a letter to district officials, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Avanish Awasthi said permission will be given for participation of a maximum of 25 invitees at a time for weddings and other functions, both in open and enclosed places.
Earlier, a maximum of 50 people or 50 per cent of the capacity of the marriage hall were permitted. A maximum of 100 persons were allowed in open spaces.
Awasthi said that invitees will have to comply with Covid-appropriate protocols, with the use of masks and sanitizers.
Social distancing will have to be strictly followed while making seating arrangements, besides making proper arrangements for sanitation and cleanliness of toilets at the venue where the function is being organised, the order stated.
The responsibility of complying with these conditions will be that of organizers, the order said.
Meanwhile, more than 2,700 weddings have been postponed or cancelled in the state capital alone during the ongoing Corona curfew.
According to a wedding hall owner, bookings have been cancelled in huge numbers, giving a major setback to those in the business.
"People are cancelling marriage events because the compliance of Covid protocols is not possible in such functions. If the number of guests exceeds 50, how can anyone tell the additional guests to leave the venue? The local police tend to misbehave if there is any violation. Moreover, the curfew makes is tough for guests to commute," said a well-known businessman who has 'indefinitely postponed' his son's wedding, scheduled for May 29.
The businessman said that he has not fixed a fresh date for the wedding yet. "There is talk of the third wave in September which would again make things difficult. We may opt for a destination wedding outside the country if that happens," he said.
COVID-19 situation in UP
Uttar Pradesh, which recently saw a spurt in COVID-19 infections, is now witnessing a slide in fresh cases with 8,737 new cases being reported on Tuesday taking the statewide tally to 16,37,663, a senior government official said.
The state reported 255 fresh deaths taking the COVID-19 toll to 18,072, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad said.
The number of active cases has also come down to 1,36,342, he said, while adding that a total of 14,83,249 people have so far recovered and have been discharged from hospitals bringing the recovery rate in the state to 90.60 per cent.
Among the active cases, 99,891 are in home isolation, he said.
Of the fresh deaths recorded in the state, Meerut reported the highest with 20 deaths followed by Lucknow 19 and Kanpur Nagar 12, Saharanpur 11 and Agra 10 along with others, a health department bulletin said.
