Covid-19 hits Republic Day Parade, Shorter parade, guests’ age limit.
Key sentence:
- They said it would allow only 4,000 individuals from the general public. VVIP, as well as VIP guests, will be the remaining spectators.
- The district of New Delhi will be closed, and entry tickets or passes will be checked on the outskirts of New Delhi’s districts.
- People would be allowed under tight watch from the outer cordon where pickets and checkpoints will be set up.
In terms of spectators and the spectacle due to the coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing farmer’s agitation, the annual Republic Day parade at Rajpath will be curtailed.
Only 4,000 people from the general citizens will be allowed:
Officials in charge of the preparations said that only 25,000 individuals would attend the Rajpath parade, relative to over 100,000 individuals who normally turn up for the event. They said it would allow only 4,000 individuals from the general public. VVIP, as well as VIP guests, will be the remaining spectators.
Passes and tickets are essential:
To see the parade, spectators either need either ticket. No one will also be permitted in the free-standing zones, located near the boat club and lawns at India Gate, where thousands gather every year to watch the grand march.
As Delhi Police official stated:
Furthermore, only those over 15 years of age and under 65 will be permitted to attend the parade, officials added. Bleachers or stands along the Rajpath have been covered with chairs to ensure social distance. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, new standards have been laid down, a senior Delhi Police officer informed, requesting anonymity.
This year, at the India Gate, rather than going up to the Red Fort, the main parade, comprising of marching contingents from of the three arms of the defence forces, armed systems, and paramilitary units, will end. The tableaux will, however, be permitted to go up to the grounds of the Red Fort.
As the other officer stated:
Another officer, privy to the developments, who preferred not to be identified, said it would help control the movements of the participants by not taking the march up to the Red Fort and restricting it within the New Delhi district. He added that it would prevent citizens from overcrowding also on the road to the Red Fort from India Gate.
The New Delhi district will be sealed officer stated:
The district of New Delhi will be closed, and entry tickets or passes will be checked on the outskirts of New Delhi’s districts. At ITO, Dhaula Kuan, Aurobindo Chowk, and near Ranjeet Singh flyover, some of these control points are dropping.
Someone attending the parade would have to display or transfer their ticket and the proof of identity with the same names as the given ticket or pass. Tickets and passes given in the name of the tourist would not be transferable,’ continued the officer.
Delhi Police spokesperson Eish Singhal:
Deputy Police Commissioner Eish Singhal, the spokesman for the Delhi Police, clarified that protection was built in several layers: the outer cordon, middle cordon, and an inner cordon.
People would be allowed under tight watch from the outer cordon where pickets and checkpoints will be set up. People will also be stopped for random inspection here. However, via the inner cordon, only those with Republic Day tickets or passes will be permitted.
Further Eish Singhal stated:
The number of armed and paramilitary marching contingents would be smaller. Compared to 144 in the regular course, these squads would only have 96 members.
Independence Day celebrations were also affected by this year’s outbreak, with lesser VIPs joining the Red Fort function.”The thermal screening will be performed at all entry points and would be immediately isolated in resting booths in which a doctor, including paramedic staff, will be stationed for those running temperatures,” the officer said.
The officer added that sanitisers, face masks, including gloves, would also be made available at the location.
head of the department of community medicine at Safdarjung hospital Dr Jugal Kishore stated:
Dr Jugal Kishore, head of the community medicine department at Safdarjung Hospital, says precautions should be taken. “Given the pandemic, the guidelines are appropriate. To control the spread of the disease, certain mandates are necessary.
Based on these variables, the government would have agreed on limits on the number of guests. Individuals should watch this year’s Republic Day celebrations on their TV sets, Kishore added.
