India, August 14: Preparation for the Independence Day celebrations in the Assam state Capital has been curbed in a lot of ways, due to the prevailing pandemic situation in the state. The venue has been shifted from the usual Veterinary Playground to the Judges Field as the former now houses a COVID Care Centre.
According to the Commissioner and Secretary to the Government of Assam, Dr M. Angamuthu ‘s statement, the event will start at 9 am with the unfurling of the National Flag. The National Anthem will be played post that and the Chief Minister’s speech will follow.
The march-past will not include the participation of students, NCC, Cadets, scouts or guides, this year however, owing to the coronavirus pandemic.
Following Covid-19 safety protocols, the number of invitees have to be one-third of the total seating capacity of the venue. The seating will also be arranged according to the social distancing norms. The invitees and officials are supposed to follow all the precautionary measures, like wearing masks and proper sanitization. Lunch, high tea and arrangement for other refreshments will not be made for the event. The invitees will mostly consist of front line COVID workers that will include doctors, health and sanitization workers along with a few COVID survivors.
Although the award ceremony has been cancelled due to the Covid-19 situation, the names of the awardees will be announced and the awards will be later handed over to them or their families at their respective homes.
Entering and leaving the venue will also entail special protocols to avoid clustering of people, as practised in the Preparation for the Independence Day.
