Janmashtami is a major Hindu festival that is celebrated with a great pomp in India. People typically celebrate this festival by visiting Krishna or Vishnu temples, taking part in Dahi Handi celebrations, organizing local cultural events, preparing, and sharing special food, as well as praying together. These celebrations, however, shall be a bit different this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 outbreak, as well as the lockdown and social distancing measures taken to curb it, will have a considerable impact on the 2020 Janmashtami celebrations that are to be held on 11th August. Government bodies, temple administrations, and other organizations across the nation are taking steps to ensure public safety amidst the festivities and have set certain regulations to ensure the maintenance of the important social distancing rules.

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The Goa Disaster Management Authority or GDMA is among the organizations that have issued a host of mandatory guidelines that are to be followed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic amidst the Janmashtami celebrations. Here are the salient points of these guidelines:

● The local markets shall be constantly monitored by the relevant bodies during the Janmashtami festivities. The markets where festival-related goods are being sold shall be specially monitored both by local bodies and police to see to the fact that social distancing rules are being followed there.
● The Goa police force must be on regular duty on Janmashtami to make sure that the necessary social distancing norms are followed.
● Dahi Handi celebrations, as well as any other type of social or religious gatherings in the district taking place due to Janmashtami have been banned by the state government.
● The authorities have reportedly asked the shop owners of the state to keep their sale timings long and staggered to avoid crowding.
● All people stepping out of their homes during Janmashtami have been told to abide by the basic social distancing rules, use hand-wash and sanitizers, as well as wear a face covering.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the whole world within a few months and impacted almost every facet of life, including how people celebrate diverse festivals. To reduce the spread of this infectious disease, it is crucial that people follow these important guidelines and rules, even during festivities.

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