BHOPAL: Night curfew, biting cold and fear of a third wave of Covid-19 are set to dampen the New Year spirit and celebrations on the occasion may again be a low-key affair.
Until very recently, it seemed that New Year eve this year will be celebrated with usual zest and zeal as the city and the country appeared to be coming out of the shadow of Covid-19.
But, discovery of Omicron variant of the virus and rise in cases of Coronavirus abruptly changed the scene. Not only did it lead to reimposition of the night curfew from 11.00 pm as late as December 23 but the cold wave situation prevailing in the city further dampened the new year spirit, thereby upsetting plans of many people to welcome the new year with a bang.
"It is much the same as the last year. We have seen a lot of suffering due to the pandemic this year but as the year progressed, things had improved. We had thought of going to a New Year bash in any of the hotels and have a good time but there is night curfew and of course it's very cold particularly during the night. Then, a third wave seems imminent after the discovery of Omicron. Therefore, we have decided to stay back home, enjoy the evening watching TV shows and order a cake in the evening, which my daughter will cut when it strikes 12.00 am" said Brijendra Sharma, an official with the central government.
But, there are also groups, who had planned the celebrations early and are sticking to the plan. "We had decided to ride the cruise on and stay in and around the Boat Club till the New Year arrives. We are sticking to the plan, but we shall have to return home early due to the night curfew," said Vineet Gupta, who plans to go with his family and friends to Boat Club, where MP Tourism (MPT) is celebrating the occasion this year.
District administration spokesperson Arun Rathore, when asked about any fresh guidelines for New Year revelers, said except for night curfew and entry to only persons having taken both the doses of vaccine in malls and parties in hotels and restaurants, there are no more restrictions.
