Christmas and New Year celebrations will be low key this year with the fresh threat of a new Covid strain detected in the UK and many countries isolating the United Kingdom in the last week of December.
While India is witnessing a reduction in the daily number of COVID-19 cases, but new coronavirus strain found in the UK has sent the government into a spiral.
Apart from that, there are concerns over the possibility that the upcoming Christmas and New Year festivities could cause people to throw caution to the wind and go lax on COVID-19 related precautions.
From December 22 till December 31, the center has banned flights to and from the UK in view of the new and highly infectious strain of virus detected there.
State governments around the world have imposed restrictions on public gatherings and travel in a bid to curb the spread of the virus while some individuals are coming up with innovative ideas to celebrate with their loved ones.
State-Wise List Of Night Curfew Regulations
Different states as well as imposing night curfews during Christmas and New Year. Here is what to expect-
- Maharashtra: Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh appealed to all ‘Christian brothers and sisters’ to celebrate Christmas in a very simple way considering the pandemic. Maharashtra government announced a night curfew for all major cities between now and January 5.
As per the guidelines, the Mass which is organized in local churches to mark the occasion of Christmas should not have more than 50 people at a time. The guidelines state that no more than 10 people should be allowed in a single choir. No Christmas or New Year function excuses will be entertained to keep hotels/restaurants/parties/revelries to continue from 11 pm to 6 am curfew hours.
- Karnataka- Karnataka also imposed restrictions amid concerns over a new COVID-19 variant spreading in the UK. The Karnataka government said night curfew will be in force between 11 pm and 5 am from December 24 till January 1 but midnight mass will be allowed.
- Uttarakhand– In the wake of increasing coronavirus cases, the Uttarakhand government has announced that bars, hotels, and other public places won’t be permitted to hold programs, parties, and public gatherings on the occasion of Christmas, new year’s eve, and January 1, 2021.
- Tamil Nadu– There is no curfew in Tamil Nadu. Restaurants, pubs, clubs, and resorts will remain open and function normally adhering to Covid-19 guidelines. However, public celebrations in restaurants, clubs, pubs, resorts, beach resorts, beaches have been banned across Tamil Nadu on both December 31 and January 1.
- Himachal Pradesh- Night curfew had been imposed in 8 districts of Himachal Pradesh, and has been extended from 14 December till 5th January 2021 in the four Covid-hit districts of Shimla, Mandi, Kangra, and Kullu.
- Rajasthan- According to an order issued by the Home Department, the Rajasthan government has imposed a night curfew on December 31 in all cities having a population of over one lakh. No New Year party will be organized on the occasion, while bursting of firecrackers will be banned. The restrictions will remain in place from 8 PM on December 31 to 6 AM on January 1, and markets will be closed from 7 PM.
- Punjab- The night curfew hours will be 10 pm to 5 am and will stay in effect till January 1. The government ordered restrictions of 100 persons on indoor events and 250 on outdoor gatherings in the state.
- Manipur– Manipur had declared night curfew to last till December end. The curfew hours were 6 pm to 4 am and the state government had declared that the night curfew orders in Manipur will continue till December 31 which implies that people can celebrate Christmas and New Year in public places during daytime (outside curfew hours) by following COVID-specific SOPs.
- Goa– Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Churches and chapels in Goa, which comprises about 30 percent people of Christian faith, are geared up for the midnight masses, to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, while adhering to the standard operating procedures laid down by the state government.
In a bid to curb the spread of the virus government has advised people to celebrate Christmas with the utmost care by following the Covid protocols. During Christmas amid the pandemic, it’s important that we tell each other that no one is alone.