Bhubaneswar: In the wake of the recent surge in Covid-19 cases in the state, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Tuesday issued fresh guidelines imposing restrictions on the celebration of Maha Vishuba Sankranti, popularly known as Pana Sankranti, Wednesday.
Similarly, the civic body also put restrictions on the observance of Ramadan (Ramzaan) month.
The BMC issued fresh instructions for Pana Sankranti and Ramzaan as per the guidelines issued by the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) for the organisation of festivals and functions at public places.
As per the guidelines, any kind of congregation/gathering for the above two festivals is not allowed within the BMC jurisdiction. However, usual religious rituals/prayers/namaaz/at mosque and temples are allowed with a maximum of 100 participants or 50 per cent capacity of the premises whichever is less.
All the participants at mosques and temples shall have to wear masks properly and ensure social distancing during the festivals. It will be the responsibility of temple and mosque management to ensure the implementation of the Covid-19 norms, said the guidelines.
The new guidelines prohibit the practices of distributing pana/other beverages at temples and other public places during Maha Vishuba Sankranti.
The mosque and temple authorities have been asked to make provision for hand washing and hand sanitising on their premises. Any person having symptoms of influenza like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) shall not be allowed to the temple or mosque, added the guidelines.
Meanwhile, restrictions are also imposed on the celebration of Pana Sankranti at the Siruli Mahaveer temple at Chandanpur in Puri district.
