Gopalpur Sea Beach Closed For Public From Today; Check Fresh Festival Guidelines For Odisha

Berhampur: All sea beaches in Odisha’s Ganjam district, including Gopalpur and Sonapur, as well as other major water bodies will remain out of bounds for public from January 13 till January 17.

The decision was taken to avoid large gatherings during upcoming festivals and to ensure strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols.

This came a day after the Special Relief Commissioner on Wednesday instructed all collectors to prohibit congregations at water bodies, for the observance or celebration of upcoming local festivals or festivities, to prevent the spread of the virus.

FRESH GUIDELINES:

• Congregations at river banks/ ghats/ ponds/ seashore or near other water bodies to take bath strictly prohibited.
• Organisation of melas and other religious congregations/celebrations not allowed
• Religious rituals are allowed in religious places/ places of worship with bare minimum priests/ servitors and staff
• People have been advised to perform the rituals/puja at their homes with family members only avoiding mass gatherings and adhering to the COVID-19 safety protocols such as physical distancing, use of face mask/ covering and handwashing/ hand sanitiser
• If required, considering local conditions, appropriate restrictions may be imposed on the entry of devotees into churches/ temples/ mosques/ religious places/ places of worship and in the celebrations in churches/ temples/mosques/ religious places/places of worship
• Collectors/ Municipal Commissioners may decide the number of persons to attend any such religious ritual/ festival/Puja in their respective jurisdictions with strict adherence to Covid appropriate behaviour and norms. The devotees in these places must ensure Covid-19 safety protocols such as wearing face masks, physical distancing and handwashing /hand sanitiser.

Notably, the Ganjam administration had earlier announced the closure of religious places in the district till January 31.  The decision was taken to avoid crowding at religious places, Collector Vijay Amruta Kulange had said.

Ganjam currently has 417 active cases.

Health experts, however, fear that the COVID situation may turn worse with the return of migrants from the worst-affected Gujarat and Maharashtra for the 3-tier panchayat polls in the state slated for next month. The district had turned a COVID hotspot as migrant workers returned in large numbers after the announcement of the nationwide lockdown.

Around 7 to 8 lakh people from Ganjam have shifted to Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala in search of livelihood options.