The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday issued fresh directives ahead of Bakrid, prohibiting gatherings of more than 50 people at any place to celebrate the festival, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The government also issued orders against animal sacrifice at public places in the State.
Charing a meeting with senior officials to review the COVID-19 situation in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed them to make all necessary arrangements in view of the festival, an official spokesperson said here.
In view of the pandemic, not more than 50 people should gather at any place at a given time for any event related to Bakrid, the official said.
It should also be ensured that no cow, camel or any other banned animal is sacrificed anywhere. Only designated places or private premises should be used for animal sacrifices, he said.
Special care should be taken for cleanliness, the official added. The festival is scheduled to be celebrated later this week.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh recorded 40 fresh COVID-19 cases and seven deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the number of infections and fatalities to 17,07,884 and 22,728 respectively, the health bulletin said on Monday.
The latest deaths were reported from Kanpur at three, followed by one each from Allahabad, Amethi, Mirzapur and Chandauli, it said.
A total of 99 persons were discharged after recovery from the infection in the last 24 hours, Additional Chief Secretary, Information, Navneet Sehgal said.
Active cases at 1,188
The total number of recoveries in the State reached 16,83,968, he said, adding that the number of active cases stood at 1,188.
The recovery rate of the State is now 98.6%, he said. So far, over 6.35 crore samples have been tested for COVID-19 in the State, including 2.18 lakh that were collected on Sunday, Mr. Sehgal said.
