Maharashtra govt issues guideline for Bakrid celebration; urges people to celebrate it in simple manner

The upcoming Bakrid festival should be celebrated in a simple manner due to the COVID-19 outbreak, state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said on Friday and asked people to follow guidelines issued.

The guidelines were issued after Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, deputy CM Ajit Pawar, Deshmukh and other ministers met earlier this week to discuss issues relating to Bakrid (Eid-ul-Adha), which falls later this month.

"Bakrid should be celebrated in a simple manner this year given the COVID-19 outbreak," an official statement quoted Deshmukh as saying.

The state government reiterated there is a ban in place on all religious programmes and people should offer "namaz" in their homes and not in mosques.

It also said sacrificial animals should be bought online or over the phone as markets dealing with them will be closed, adding that "qurbani" should preferably be symbolic.

There will be no relaxation in restrictions for Eid in containment zones, and people are directed not to congregate in public places on the day of the festival, it added.

All guidelines announced by health department, police and local administration must be followed diligently, it said.

As on Thursday, Maharashtra had an overall COVID-19 count of 2,84,281, the highest in the country.