The West Bengal government on Wednesday issued guidelines for conducting Puja festivities amid the Covid-19 pandemic. In a detailed press release, the state government outlined various measures pandal organisers, and other groups must undertake to ensure masking, sanitisation and distancing ahead of the Durga Puja rituals and functions.
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The state on Tuesday saw 11 deaths due to the disease. A total of 619 fresh cases took the state’s tally to 15,72,460. After a devastating second Covid-19 wave in April and May this year, the Centre has warned against laxation in measures against the disease ahead of the approaching festive season and as state norms get relaxed. The Bengal government has made compulsory the use of masks and hand sanitisers, and banned cultural programmes to ensure the disease does not spread in view of the festive season.
Guidelines Shared by the Bengal Govt:
1. Spacious Open Pandals with Separate Entry-Exit | Pandals shall have to be spacious and should be kept open from all sides, the state government said in its press release. If in case it becomes essential to have closed ceiling, the sides will have to be kept open. Pandals must keep adequate space and arrangements for ensuring physical distancing in terms of the existing COVID-19 pandemic norms. There should be separate Entry and Exit arrangements with separate gates. Mingling and crowding should be avoided at all places. Floor markings and other signages should be made on entry and exit routes and assembly points to ensure compliance of physical distancing norms, it said.
2. Compulsory Masks and Hand Sanitizer | Use of masks shall be compulsory for all visitors visiting the pandals. To meet any exigency, organisers shall make adequate arrangements for distribution of masks in close vicinity of the pandal to the visitors who inadvertently come to the pandal premises without wearing masks, the release said. Use and availability of hand sanitizer should similarly be made compulsory in the pandal premises and neighbourhood.
3. Volunteers and Decongested Rituals | Puja organizers must keep volunteers in adequate numbers for ensuring compliance of the norms of physical distancing among visitors, for enforcing wearing of masks and use of hand sanitizers. Volunteers themselves should wear face masks and face shields for safety. Keeping in view the health safety of participants and organizers, Anjali, Prasad Bitaran or Sindoor Khela should be organized by Puja Committees in a planned manner and to the extent possible in smaller groups with spaced out timings in a staggered way. Priests should use microphones to utter the mantra so that the sound reaches worshippers standing even far away and people do not have to assemble closely in small spaces, the release said. Devotees may be encouraged to offer Anjali with flowers brought from homes, so that flower collection points in the pandals do not become congestion-points.
4. No Cultural Programme | Cultural programmes in/ near the Puja pandal premises shall not be allowed, the government announced.
5. Low-key Award Judging | Judges for various Puja award programmes should not be allowed to enter Puja premises in huge convoys and large numbers, the government has said. No more than two cars of judges at a time should be allowed to visit a pandal. Ideally all visits for ‘judging’ the Pujas should be virtual and physical visits should be confirmed to the lean hours (between 10 AM and 3 PM).
6. Emphasis on Electronic and Social Media | Electronic and social media should be used by the organizers and public authorities to make people aware to avoid large assembly and crowding on roads and near pandals, the release said. Organisers/volunteers and police personnel on duty shall facilitate continuous movement of visitors to avoid unnecessary crowding.
7. Low-key Inaugurations and Immersions | Inaugurations and immersions should be low-key and minimalist events without much pomp and grandeur. Wherever possible, inauguration should be in virtual mode, the release said. In all cases, masks, sanitizers, physical distancing and no-crowd principle shall be followed. Pre-planned allocation of time of Ghat slots to different Puja Committees should be strictly adhered to. Ghats shall be properly sanitised before and during immersions with arrangements that facilitate the required physical distancing norms under the current situation. Protima must be taken to the ghats directly without any stopover at any place avoiding unnecessary diversions, it said.
8. Online Permission | Physical contacts must be avoided in the permission-obtaining procedures also. Online system for required permission should be arranged by the concerned authorities.
9. Spacing out the festivities over larger number of days | Adherence to the physical distancing norms and other health safety measures that are required to be ensured during the current times may need spacing out the festival over larger number of days, the government said, adding that Puja Committees should make necessary advance planning that facilitates visit to Puja pandals from Tritia itself.
10. No Carnival | In the context of the pandemic and the need to have physical distancing norms, the State immersion carnival shall not be held this year, the release said. In similar vein, melas and carnivals near Puja pandals shall not be allowed, it said.
11. Assistance from Government and other public and private organisations | The release said that since public health management in the pandemic time will entail greater costs and energies for the organisers, the State Government and other public and private organisations will help the Puja Committees/ organisers in the following ways:
a) The State Government Fire Service authorities shall not charge any fees for their services. The State shall provide these emergency services free of cost.
b) The local bodies (urban and rural) shall also provide their services free of cost, and no fee/ charge shall be levied on any Puja Committee/ organisers on this account.
c) Concessional Power (at the rate of 50%) shall be provided by the power utility organisations. Separate notifications shall be issued by respective organisations in this regard.
d) A one-time financial assistance Rs.50,000 per club will be provided by the State Government for enabling them to undertake the required arrangements to address the current pandemic situation, in addition to the other customary public services. The details will be elaborated in the government order that would follow.
e) The administration/police authorities shall provide necessary help and assistance to all Puja Committees/ organisers as would be required by them.
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