Hyderabad: The Telangana government has given the state excise department permission to allow bars and licensees of event permit management companies to serve alcohol until 1 AM on December 31 and January 1 on the occasion of New Year celebrations.
Most governments are scrambling to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant in the country by implementing restrictions and night curfews and on the other hand, the Telangana government gives out a free hand for large gatherings of the crowd to celebrate New Year 2022.
In light of Christmas and New Year, the Telangana High Court directed the state government to impose curbs to prevent public gatherings on Christmas and New Year, in view of the Omicron threat.
On the other hand, the government has issued an order on December 25 prohibiting protests and public gatherings until January 2 but allowing "activities involving large crowds" with basic guidelines such as physical distancing, required masks, and thermal screening.
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The state government ordered the authorities to impose a fine of Rs 1,000 for not wearing a mask. It directed all district collectors, police commissioners, and Superintendent of Polices to implement the sanctioned orders fully. Telangana Chief Secretary CS Somesh Kumar had earlier issued these orders.
Telangana reported seven Omicron variant cases on Tuesday taking the total tally of the cases in the state to 62. However, The state has reached a significant milestone in the fight against the pandemic by providing the first dosage of Covid vaccinations to all eligible recipients.
(With inputs from ABP Desam — It is a Telugu platform of ABP News. For more news, commentary and latest happenings from two Telugu states, follow https://telugu.abplive.com//amp)