Considering the new threat posed by the coronavirus strain, the central and state governments have been consistently taking safety measures. Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Tuesday appealed to people to celebrate Christmas in a simple manner in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an official statement issued three days ahead of the festival, Deshmukh called for observing physical distancing norms, wearing masks in public and using sanitisers to curb the spread of the infection.
According to the guidelines issued by the state government, prayer meetings in churches should be organised with attendance of maximum of 50 persons on the day of Christmas.
The choir should have a maximum of 10 members, the statement said. Deshmukh also suggested organising thanksgiving mass in churches at 7 pm or before that instead of midnight on December 31.The Government of Maharashtra has decided to impose night curfew in municipal corporation limits in the state till January 5 in view of the emergence of a new coronavirus strain in the United Kingdom.