As festivals approach, Centre asks states to ensure no large gatherings take place

Ahead of the festival season, the Centre on Saturday asked all states and union territories to ensure there is no large gathering and that they take pro-active measures to check the spread of coronavirus.

Extending the ongoing COVID-19 guidelines for one more month till September 30, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said the overall pandemic situation now appears to be largely stable at the national level, except for the localised spread observed in a few states.

The total number of active cases and high case positivity in some districts continue to remain a matter of concern, he told the chief secretaries of all states and UTs.