Mumbai civic chief Iqbal Chahal appeals to people to avoid Christmas, New Year parties

Amid the fear of spread of the Omicron variant of coronavirus Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal has appealed to citizens to avoid gatherings and parties during the upcoming Christmas festival and New Year and warned of stringent action against those who flout rulesMaharashtra has so far reported 54 cases of the Omicron variant Out of these 22 are from Mumbai including cases found through screening at the international airport here as per official dataIn a press release issued on Sunday Chahal said due to the new virus variant Omicron the situation at many countries in the world has once again gone out of control and has created a lockdownlike situationHe said despite repeated appeals by the government and administration to prevent a possible third wave of COVID19 the guidelines are not being followed properly in most places especially at wedding ceremonies and other functions and there is a need to curb the growing crowds at such eventsChahal asked citizens to strictly adhere to rules regarding attendance at weddings and other functionsAvoid any kind of crowding wear masks and follow COVID19 guidelines All citizens must also get fully vaccinated the civic chief said adding that people should also follow all rules in hotels restaurants cinemas malls and other placesThe BMC body has deployed squads at ward levels to take action against those who violate rules he saidThose violating the COVID19 rules will be dealt with severely by the BMCs ward level teams as well as the Mumbai Police administration he saidChahal said in the near future the risk of COVID19 spread may increase if programmes and functions are held on Christmas and New Year There is also a need to curb the growing crowd at weddings and other functions he saidIn order to prevent such a situation in India as well as in Maharashtra the central and state governments are continuously appealing to people and requesting them to take precautions The BMC administration has also appealed to Mumbaikars to be vigilant he saidAccording to the BMC Maharashtra chief secretary issued an order on November 27 and laid down the guidelines to curb the spread of COVID19 The Mumbai Police also issued a notification on December 14 stating that action will be taken against violators as per the Indian Penal Code as well as the Epidemic Diseases Act and the National Disaster Management ActAs per the state governments guidelines in close indoor halls only 50 per cent people of the total capacity of those halls must be allowed to attend an event while in open spaces only 25 per cent people of the total capacity of the place must be allowedIf more than 1000 people are to come together for any event at an open space it is mandatory to get prior approval from the local disaster management authority say the guidelinesAll hotels restaurants cinema halls malls and other government and private establishments must strictly abide by the rules regarding attendanceAccording to the guidelines all eligible citizens are required to complete their inoculation by taking both doses of COVID19 vaccine Only those who are fully vaccinated will be allowed at public places including public transportFull vaccination is mandatory for all employees functioning at public places or establishments as well as all attendees at events or functions Appropriate action will be taken against an establishment if the rule is found to be violated the guidelines mentionedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever