UP releases new guidelines for wedding and other gatherings

The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday released fresh guidelines for holding wedding and other functions in the state in the wake of the coronavirus disease pandemic.These functions are allowed to be held outside the containment zones, but with a reduced capacity. According to the guidelines, in case of marriage functions, the number of guests should be 50 per cent of a wedding hall’s capacity, but the number is capped at maximum 100.

The organisers will have to mandatorily arrange for face masks, sanitisers and thermal scanners at the venue. The guests will also have to follow social distancing.However, there is no restriction on DJ and wedding music bands. FIR will be registered against those found violating the guidelines, a state government order said. The order has been issued by chief secretary Rajendra Tiwari. In containment zones, no such function is allowed.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath said on Monday that the threat of Covid-19 is far from over and people have to remain alert till a vaccine is developed. He lauded the contribution of everyone involved in the task of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic in the state and said their efforts have also been acknowledged at the global level. According to the Union health ministry, Uttar Pradesh has 23,806 active COvid-19 cases, while it has reported 7,559 deaths due to the infection. As many as 4,95,415 people have recovered from the disease.