The Chief Minister’s statement comes after the COVID-19 Technical Advisory Committee recommended the ban.
Karnataka’s Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said on Friday that the state government has decided to ban cookie popping during Deepavali this year. Speaking to the media on Friday, BS Yediyurappa said: “Due to COVID-19 and other reasons, we have decided to ban cookie popping during Deepavali this year. We had discussions before making this decision. A government order will be issued shortly. ”
While the CM has said it will ban popped cookies, it is not yet clear whether the ban will extend to their sale as well. “We will issue a detailed government order,” said a health department official.
Karnataka CM @BSYBJP announces the ban on the setting off of firecrackers during Deepavali this year. @thenewsminute pic.twitter.com/5XUR5Wtc1f
– Theja Ram (@ thejaram92) November 6, 2020
Three days ago, the Minister of Medical Education, Dr. K. Sudhakar, had said that the state government had been considering banning the sale and setting off of firecrackers during Deepavali and that a decision was expected. The state government began pondering the ban after states such as West Bengal, Rajasthan, Odisha and Haryana made similar announcements about the sale and setting off of firecrackers. The Karnataka government had commissioned the COVID-19 Technical Advisory Committee to present its recommendations in this regard.
Speaking to TNM, Dr. Sudarshan, chair of the COVID-19 Technical Advisory Committee, said experts were concerned about the impact of popping cookies on patients with respiratory illnesses.
“COVID-19 attacks a person’s respiratory system. Many COVID-19 patients, even with mild symptoms and in home isolation, can become more vulnerable if air quality is affected. Even those who have recovered are vulnerable as the new coronavirus attacks the lungs of the patient, and the popped cookies can lead to further respiratory problems, ”said Dr. Sudarshan, adding that it is important to take preventive measures to ensure that they do not occur. more complications in post-recovery patients.
Another committee member told TNM that the committee recommended a ban on the sale as well, as it would be difficult to monitor the ban on popping cookies. “There is no way to monitor whether people are busting cookies if there wasn’t a ban on breaking them. This decision was made simply to ensure that people’s health is not affected. People may not maintain physical distance while popping cookies, which could also become a problem, ”said the source.
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