Amid growing concern about the Omicron variant of Covid-19, the Navi Mumbai police held a meeting with church representatives on Wednesday and asked them to follow the Covid guidelines on Christmas on December 25. Police also asked them to ensure that only half of the capacity of the church are occupied during the mass.
Shivraj Patil, deputy commissioner of police zone two said that they will keep watch to avoid gathering. “The bandobast starts on December 24 and it will continue till the end of the Christmas celebration. We have asked them to not hold large celebrations on Christmas,” said Patil.
He added that the commissioner police also interacted with Church representatives and appealed to celebrate the festival with low-key affairs. Apart from 50 percent capacity, Churches have been asked to ensure that there should not gather inside or outside of the premises. “The premises should be sanitized and people visiting the religious place must wear the masks and maintain a social distancing,” said Patil.
The church representatives have been asked to avoid functions and choir that attract large gatherings. Even the state government guidelines have prohibited holding such functions amid the Omicron concern.