Pune: Revellers shun big get-togethers, most stay at home due to coronavirus

PUNE: Muted celebrations marked the festival of colours in the city on Tuesday, with the cancellation of several Holi parties and events in the wake of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) scare.
While several youths could be seen taking to the streets with colours to celebrate the festival, most citizens either stayed home or restricted the celebrations to their housing societies, especially after two persons tested positive for the contagion in the city on Monday evening.The number of positive cases reached five by Tuesday late evening.
IT professional Prerna Goyal said, “We had initially planned to go out to play Holi at a friend’s housing society. This plan was, however, scrapped due to the coronavirus scare. Eventually, we restricted the celebration to our home with some of our family members paying us a visit during the day.”
A Wakad resident said his society members indulged in “a sort of dry holi” celebrations. “We did not use water to celebrate the festival and also limited the size of the gathering. We have also alerted all the residents against Covid-19 as most of them work in large offices. Our focus is on maintaining strictest hygiene, especially at handrails along staircases and the lift areas. Besides, after playing Holi, the revellers discarded all the clothes they wore during the celebration,” he said.
Wakdewadi resident Harshita Sanghvi said, “It did not feel like Holi at all this year as there were hardly any celebrations. We did not even see people playing on the streets either.”
City resident Diksha Kini, currently in Bengaluru, said the celebrations remained low-key even there. “In fact, we had notices put up in the housing society asking people to avoid chemical colours. The notices urged people to use turmeric and beetroot water instead of artificial colours.”
According to restaurateurs from the city, several events were called for hosting Holi events. The Mills, for example, had announced Holi celebrations but cancelled the event a day in advance due to lack of permission. A partner at a restaurant at The Mills said, “We have not even arranged for a private party on our premises.”
President of Pune Restaurants and Hoteliers Association (PRAHA), Ganesh Shetty said the Pune police had cancelled all Holi party permissions in light of the Covid-19 scare.
Pune police commissioner K Venkatesham said several establishments had pro-actively called off their Holi events. “We saw muted Holi celebrations this year. The enthusiasm was lower due to coronavirus scare. Most establishments cancelled their events on their own,” he said.