Celebrating festivals during COVID-19 should be with utmost care. Masking and maintaining physical distancing are the two pillars of preventing Coronavirus infection during the festive season.
Diwali is a festival of cleanliness and it is important that we take this aspect very seriously this year. It is a good time to discard what is not needed in the house and avoid the spread of any kind of infection or disease. Celebrations with family are fine this year but if you decide to involve people from outside, make sure that you follow the safety protocols well.
While it is better to avoid crowding, in cases where you need to call people over, remember the two keywords: wear a mask and maintain a distance. Some key takeaways from the session on celebrating festivals are as follows:
1. About 15 minutes of cumulative meetings can spread infections. Maintain physical distance and wear a mask at all times. Winters freeze the lipid layer of viruses. If they get into the nose, they can get stuck there and give infection.
2. Those who wish to apply mehndi can be innovative this year and only do so on the feet. In case you are getting married and also want to apply on your hands, make sure you keep them on both sides. There should a distance of at least 3 feet between the applier’s mouth and the client’s to avoid face to face transmission.
3. For Diwali pooja, it is good to place the Diyas outside the house to reduce the rate of transmission. Do not send mithai and chocolate. Send educational links or a packet of masks since most of those available in the market are not the right ones.
4. Avoid crackers completely. They can lead to pollution which can further increase CRP. In case the person gets COVID-19, the severity will increase because of pollution.
5. Do not consume alcohol since it can increase the chances of fatty liver. About 18 ml of whiskey is harmless but anything over and above can be detrimental.
6. Open air parties are better. To prevent any kind of infection, cross ventilation is very essential which cannot happen in a room with just one window or none at all.
Padma Shri Dr K K Aggarwal
President, Heart Care Foundation of India (HCFI)
