Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Friday said the state government will be issuing an order banning the use of firecrackers during Deepavali, due to prevailing COVID-19 pandemic situation."We have discussed it (cracker ban), we are taking a decision to ban the use of firecrackers during Deepavali..the government will soon be issuing an order to this effect," Yediyurappa said. Several states including Rajasthan, Odisha, Delhi have already decided to ban firecrackers. State Health Minister K Sudhakar on Thursday said firecrackers can badly impact the health of those who have already been infected by coronavirus. He also said experts have advised to control their use, and a final decision will be taken after consultation with the Chief Minister.
Notably, Congress-ruled Rajasthan government has also decided to ban the sale of firecrackers during the festive season in the state in the wake of the pandemic. "Protecting the lives of people is paramount for the government in this challenging time," Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said last week. Similarly, the Odisha government has also put a ban on the sale and use of firecrackers across the state during the festive season to check air pollution. The period of the ban is from November 10 to 30. The Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government has also imposed a ban on all kinds of firecrackers, including the green ones, till November 30. In a tweet, Kejriwal said coronavirus cases have increased due to festival season and pollution in Delhi, which was why the state government decided to ban crackers, and ramp up medical infra, oxygen and ICU beds. Delhi's air quality continues to deteriorate further, pushing the air quality to the 'Severe' category