Ahead of the ensuing Ganesh festival, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday held a virtual meeting with the divisional commissioners, district collectors, municipal commissioners and zilla parishad CEOs and asked them to take due precautions to avoid crowding and curb spread of coronavirus. He asked them to launch an awareness campaign urging Ganesh Mandals to celebrate the festival in a simple manner and without crowding.
CM said that due to the coronavirus pandemic, people of all religions have cooperated with the government by celebrating all the festivals at home. In the same way, the upcoming Ganeshotsav and Moharram should be celebrated without crowding. He asked them to strictly follow the provisions of the circular issued by the Home Department regarding Ganeshotsav.
Thackeray reminded that as per the government guidelines for public Ganesh Mandals, the idol of Lord Ganesha should be 4 feet tall and the domestic Ganesha idol should be 2 feet tall. ''While following this, care should be taken to ensure that arrival and immersion processions do not take place. It is imperative to ensure that the incidence of corona does not increase,'' he noted.
As for the Covid-19 crisis, CM Thackeray asked the district and civic officials to consult the state task force to step up containment measures in a bid to bring down the mortality rate. He asked them to increase the number of ICU and oxygen beds in the areas where there are higher Covid 19 cases.
CM asked the administration to increase the number of tests and focus on how test reports can be available at the earliest. ''After recovering from the coronavirus pandemic and returning home, the patients have been found to be suffering again, so there is a need to focus on increasing post-covid care,'' he noted.
