Uttar Pradesh prohibits gatherings of over 50 for Bakrid

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday issued fresh directives ahead of Bakrid, prohibiting gatherings of more than 50 people at any place to celebrate the festival, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The government also issued orders against animal sacrifice at public places in the state.

Charing a meeting with senior officials to review the COVID-19 situation in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed them to make all necessary arrangements in view of the festival, an official spokesperson said here.

In view of Covid, not more than 50 people should gather at any place at a given time for any event related to Bakrid, the official said. It should also be ensured that no cow, camel or any other banned animal is sacrificed anywhere. Only designated places or private premises should be used for animal sacrifices, he said. Special care should be taken for cleanliness, the official added. The festival is scheduled to be celebrated later this week.

Meanwhile, the people travelling to Uttar Pradesh by bus from neighbouring Delhi and Uttarakhand are being screened for COVID-19 at bus stations, a senior official of the UP State Roadways Transport Corporation said on Monday. Thermal screening of all passengers is being done and those with high temperature are undergoing rapid antigen test, the official said. "As of now, buses are not coming from Rajasthan and Bihar. Buses are coming from Uttarakhand and Delhi, mostly to western UP and Lucknow. At every bus station, a medical team has been deployed for testing of the passengers," P K Bose, UPSRTC's regional manager in Lucknow, said.

The Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday said a negative RT-PCR report is mandatory for people coming to UP from states where the positivity rate is more than three per cent. The report should not be older than four days, it said in a statement issued here on Sunday.

"People coming from such states to UP should begin their journey after getting the Covid test done. Those who have taken both the vaccine

doses can be exempted," the statement said.