In light of the rising cases of omicron variant, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority issued an order on Wednesday prohibiting all cultural events and gatherings for Christmas and New Year celebrations in the national capital. The DDMA directed district judges to take all necessary measures to stop the spread in their jurisdictions.

“All DMs and District DCPs shall ensure that no cultural event/gatherings/congregation/take place for celebrating Christmas or New Year in NCT of Delhi,” the order reads.

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According to government data, Delhi leads the Omicron tally with 57 cases, followed by Maharashtra (54), Telangana (24) and Karnataka (19). 

The DDMA directed all district magistrates to perform an extensive survey of their jurisdiction’s whole territory to detect places that could become hotspots for COVID-19 and the Omicron variant. It also encouraged officials to notify Residents Welfare Associations (RWAs) about the rising number of COVID-19 instances and the creation of a new type of worry.

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“Since, wearing of mask is the most important weapon in fight against Covid-19, RWAs and MTAs should be advised not to allow their residents, shopkeepers and customers without mask in their respective areas/public places,” the order says.

The DDMA allows restaurants, bars, and auditoriums to operate at 50% capacity while placing a 200-person limit on wedding-related gatherings. 

The authority claims that the previous order prohibiting all social, political, cultural, entertainment, and religious gatherings is not being strictly enforced. It instructed officers to perform surprise checks and impose harsh penalties on violators in accordance with the law.

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Today, India’s Coronavirus tally reached 3,47,58,481 after 6,317 new infections were reported, jumping 18% from the previous day’s 5,326 cases. The number of active cases has fallen to 78,190, the lowest number in 575 days. 

With 318 deaths in the last 24 hours, the pandemic’s total death toll has risen to 4.78 lakhs.