Ahead of Christmas, New Year celebrations, Maha govt to issue sweeping guidelines

Mumbai, Dec 24: The Maharashtra government will today issue new guidelines in view of Christmas and the New Year. The guidelines are being issued amidst growing concerns of the rise of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

Maharastra has been reporting a spike in the number of Omicron cases. Data shows that the worst hit by the new variant are Delhi and Maharashtra. In view of the same the government will issue guidelines relating to gatherings at weddings, ceremonies at hotels and with regard to restaurants.

On Thursday, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray held a virtual meeting with officials of the COVID-19 task force. During the meeting details of the proposed guidelines are said to have been discussed.

There are guidelines already in place issued by the BMC. Residents will need a permit from the BMC for any programme and event that has 200 or more invitations. Local ward officers will send representatives to check if COVID-19 related rules are being followed strictly at an event that has 200 or more people. Closed indoor halls can operate at 50 per cent of their total capacity. Open-to-sky venues can operate only at 25 per cent of its total capacity.