The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday allowed weddings and other functions to be held in outdoor venues amid a dip in Covid-19 cases in the state.
The number of people allowed to attend outdoor events will depend on the area of the venue, the state home department announced on Twitter. The organisers of such events will have to set up a Covid-19 help desk at the entrance and ensure that coronavirus-related protocols are followed.
In indoor venues, a maximum of 100 people will be permitted at a time. For such events too, the organisers will have to set up a help desk at the entrance to ensure that the people follow Covid-appropriate behaviour.
The state government also allowed the staging of Ramleela functions in open spaces, the Hindustan Times reported. The number of people who will be allowed to attend the events will depend on the area of the venue.
Ramleela functions involve the enactment of stories from the Hindu epic Ramayana, and are organised during the nine-day Navratri festivities.
On Tuesday, Uttar Pradesh recorded 18 new coronavirus cases, as per official figures. The state currently has 177 active cases and the recovery rate is 98.8%.
On June 21, the state government had imposed rules allowing only 50 guests to attend weddings. On September 19, the government allowed up to 100 people to attend weddings.
In April, the Uttar Pradesh government had imposed a curfew to check the spread of the coronavirus. Most public functions were banned and shops and establishments were required to be closed.
Out of these restrictions, the state government is now implementing only a night curfew from 11 pm to 6 am, according to The Times of India.
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