A group of young girls in Gujarat's Rajkot performed garba wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) in a bid to raise awareness about the dangers of Covid-19. A video shows the group dancing to a song at the Navratri event. Garba is an Indian folk dance performed during Navratri, particularly in Gujarat.
The organisers said the act is an attempt to make people understand the need for using masks and other protective gear. “This garba aims to spread awareness among the public about the COVID-19," Rakshaben Boriya, organiser of the event, told news agency ANI.
#WATCH | Girls in PPE kits performed Garba dance in Rajkot, Gujarat on the occasion of Navratri on Monday night
— ANI (@ANI) October 13, 2021
"This Garba aims to spread awareness among the public about the COVID-19," said Rakshaben Boriya, organiser of the Garba pic.twitter.com/Bqd9JZzJ7d
The Gujarat government has allowed garba events in housing societies and on streets with some guidelines to ensure there is no gathering of large crowds at the venues. The government has also restricted the number of participants at these events to 400, and all of them must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. There are other special operating procedures that have been shared with the organisers. No commercial garba programme has been allowed this year.
The festival of Navratri started on October 7. During this time, devotees observe fast and worship the different forms of Goddess Durga. The festivities end with Vijayadashmi or Dussehra on October 15.
Meanwhile, India reported 15,823 new coronavirus cases and 226 deaths in the last 24 hours. The count is 10.5 per cent higher than yesterday.
