New Year eve revelry banned in Covid-hit Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Dec 11 : New Year eve revelry on December 31 night would not be allowed in public places across Bengaluru, especially in the downtown, to contain coronavirus spread, a senior minister said on Friday.
“New Year eve celebrations in public places and high streets like M.G. Road and Brigade Road in the city centre are banned to prevent crowding and avoid large gatherings, which pose risk of spreading the infection,” state Health Minister K. Sudhakar told reporters here.
As thousands of revellers throng the high streets in the central business district and the upscale localities across the city to usher in the New Year, the police will be deployed to prevent people from gathering in public places.
Though Covid cases have been declining in the city, which accounts for 50 per cent of the southern state’s caseloads, experts fear a second wave of the virus due to cold weather and violation of virus-induced guidelines by the citizens.
“Citizens can have the New Year eve bash at their homes and residential areas by wearing mask, maintaining physical distancing and sanitising their hands to ensure their safety in the pandemic times,” said Sudhakar.
State Revenue Minister R. Ashok said that though it is customary for people to celebrate the New Year’s eve, since the virus has devastated the country over the last nine months, the occasion should be observed solemnly and in the memory of those who lost their lives due to the pandemic.