As the COVID-19 pandemic rages, festivals in 2020 promise to be a rather subdued affair. While many events across the country have been cancelled, others are forging ahead with a slew of safety and social distancing measures. And Mumbai is no exception at it prepares to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi.
To begin with, there will be far less pandals that you can visit to seek Bappa's blessings. There will be no pandals in containment zones, and a one ward one pandal rule has come into place for many parts of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. And when you do reach the site, the idol will be no more than 4 feet tall.
The pandals will employ social distancing measures, so be prepared for limited spots in the queue and sanitisation measures. Different pandals may have different ways to ensure social distancing, so it is best to find out ahead of time whether darshan is indeed feasible at a date and time of your choosing. The BMC has called for sanitisation of the pandal three times a day, so you might find yourself having a longer-than-anticipated wait.
The BMC had earlier drafted rules for the occasion and according to that, there will be a ban on offering prasad or offering flowers and garlands to prevent the spread of coronavirus. To this end, stalls selling the same near the mandap will also be banned.
In case you're unable to visit, mandals have been asked to ensure live streaming of the aarti and some have even opted for online darshan. Note that there will be no processions to bring Ganpati to the pandal or during immersion.
