Telangana: New coronavirus strain impacts Christmas, New Year festivities

Hyderabad: Corona virus and the reports of new strain found in the UK is wreaking havoc on festivities and year-end celebrations. While the Telangana State Government cancelled the conduct of Christmas celebration officially, the private event managements and star hotels gave up their big plans to organise musical concerts and New Year carnival parties on December 31. The government had instructed the management of bars, clubs and pubs to cancel year-end celebrations to avoid big gatherings.

Normally, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao used to attend the official Christmas celebrations but this year he decided to cancel it.

State Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar instructed all the state and district authorities to distribute clothes and groceries to the poor Christian community at their doorsteps without conducting official meetings or gatherings and the distribution activity led by ministers was in progress. Small gatherings were being organised at churches and essential commodities were being distributed.

Event management companies from Mumbai suspended musical concerts with big celebrities particularly singers and musicians. Several agencies approached the government seeking permission to hold the events serving liquor.

A senior official from the State Excise and Prohibition department said that no permission has been given to any organiser to conduct New Year celebrations.

All prominent clubs located in the Greater Hyderabad limits have been warned of stringent action and if anyone was found organising year-end celebrations with huge gatherings inside the premises stringent action will be taken against them. Similarly, the managements of resorts were also asked to maintain Covid norms while hosting parties and that too with limited numbers. Pubs and bars would also have to strictly adhere to safety norms in serving liquor to the visitors on the New Year eve.

President of Telangana Wine Dealers' Association D Venkateshwarlu said that liquor sales had declined after companies permitted their employees to work from home. "There will be no significant increase in liquor sales this year end as the government was not permitting the bars, clubs and pubs to organise New Year celebrations," he said.