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The way festivals are celebrated is completely changed with the fear of coronavirus. Here are the guidelines issued by the government on celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi at public places.

Ganesh Chaturthi festival is scheduled to be celebrated in India on August 22, 2020. With not just more than a few days left, there is a lot of concern being raised among people regarding the celebration of the festival.

Heeding to this, the government has issued certain guidelines and imposed restrictions on the way the festival must be celebrated this year.

The guidelines cover a varied range of rules including the size of idols, who should attend and who should not, and the number of people allowed inside a pandal at any point of time.

Here are the guidelines you must know:

• While many states have banned public procession and setting up of pandals this year, the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) of Mumbai has made it compulsory for the Ganesh Mandals to secure permission from the civic body before organizing the celebrations.
• It must be mandatorily ensured that there is no crowd during aarti, bhajan or any kind of religious event at the ganesh pandals in the country.
• Moreover, the authorities have to make sure that not more than 5 people must be allowed inside any pandal at any given point of time.
• There must be no processions carried out even locally and people must leave the venue as quickly as possible after visiting.
• Children and even the elderly must not be taken to the immersion site.
• Thermal screening arrangements must be compulsorily made by the pandal authorities and must only allow people who are at safe temperatures inside the pandal.
• Each pandal, however big or small, must be sanitized three times in a day and each person must wear face masks and carry hand sanitizers with them.
• A sanitizer dispenser must also be placed in pandals for the people coming in and going out. A foot sanitizer stand is advised to be kept in use at the entry and exit points for more safety.
• Ganeshotsav mandals in containment zones across India must immerse the idols in metallic tanks within the containment areas only.
• People living in sealed buildings or in containment areas are advised to immerse their idols at their homes or in the building premises only.
• The height of the Ganesh idols must not exceed 4 feet in any pandal across the country. For households, the size of the idol must not cross two feet.
• If possible, metal or marble idols must be used in the households and at pandals instead of clay ones.
• The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has strictly banned the procession of the idols in the city. The public are encouraged to celebrate the festival at home instead of public places this year.
• Sufficient Police force is advised to gather at containment zones and sensitive areas to ensure that the crowd does not gather in any religious or social place in Delhi.

By Gayatri Yellayi