Indians celebrate festival of light amid COVID-19 fears

NEW DELHI – Indians crossed the state began celebrating Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, connected Thursday amid concerns implicit the coronavirus pandemic and rising aerial pollution.

Diwali is typically celebrated by socializing and exchanging gifts with household and friends. Many airy lipid lamps oregon candles to symbolize a triumph of airy implicit darkness, and fireworks are acceptable disconnected arsenic portion of the celebrations.

Last year, celebrations successful India were upended by a renewed spike successful COVID-19 infections, but festivities this twelvemonth look to beryllium back. Even though the authorities has asked radical to debar ample gatherings, markets person been buzzing up of Diwali, with anxious crowds buying flowers, lanterns and candles.

As dusk fell connected Wednesday, implicit 900,000 earthen lamps were lit and kept burning for 45 minutes successful the bluish metropolis of Ayodhya successful Uttar Pradesh state, retaining the Guinness World Record it acceptable past year. As portion of the Diwali celebrations, the metropolis past twelvemonth lit 606,569 lipid lamps.

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The lamps were lit astatine Ram ki Pauri, astatine the banks of Saryu River, a stunning spectacle for thousands of visitors who thronged its shores portion ignoring coronavirus societal distancing norms. A laser and fireworks amusement followed, illuminating the city's lanes and stream banks. Thousands of metropolis residents besides lit lamps astatine their houses and temples.

The festival is being celebrated astatine a clip erstwhile India's pandemic situation has mostly subsided.

On Thursday, the state recorded implicit 12,000 caller coronavirus cases and 461 deaths, a acold outcry from earlier this twelvemonth erstwhile India buckled nether a fewer 100 1000 caller infections each day. Overall, it has recorded much than 35 cardinal infections and implicit 459,000 deaths, according to the Health Ministry. These figures, arsenic elsewhere, are apt undercounts.

Even states wherever infections were swelling a fewer weeks ago, specified arsenic Kerala on the tropical Malabar Coast, person seen a sustained decline. India besides celebrated administering its billionth COVID-19 vaccine dose past month, further boosting assurance that beingness is returning to normal.

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Still, experts person warned that the festival play could bring a renewed spike successful infections if COVID-19 wellness measures aren’t enforced.

There are besides worries implicit aerial pollution, which typically shrouds bluish India nether a toxic grey smog astatine this clip arsenic temperatures dip and wintertime settles in.

On Diwali night, radical besides lit up the entity with firecrackers — their fume causing contamination that takes days to clear.

While determination is nary nationwide prohibition connected bursting firecrackers, a fig of states person imposed restrictions to stem the pollution, with immoderate allowing their residents to airy greenish crackers for a definite fig of hours. Green crackers nutrient lesser emissions than mean firecrackers. In the past, akin bans person often been flouted.

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Associated Press writer Biswajeet Banerjee successful Lucknow, India, contributed to this report.

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