Ahmedabad, September 27: There won't be Navratri Mahotsav in Gujarat this year due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has issued orders stating the state government would not hold Navratri Mahotsav this year during the festival period from October 17 to October 25. The government will also not permit any garba event anywhere in the state due to the pandemic, The Hindu reported. Navaratri 2020 Dates: Know The Difference Between Chaitra Navratri and Sharad Navratri.

In a statement, the BJP-led Gujarat government said, "in public interest in view of the pandemic, CM has taken a decision to not allow the garba celebrations and also not hold the State level event at Ahmedabad." Graba events in Gujarat during Navratri attract thousands of people. Earlier, state BJP president CR Patil said that no permission for garba events should be given as it can further spread the coronavirus.

The state-level garba function, held at GMDC Ground in Ahmedabad every year, was started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he was chief minister of Gujarat. The PM had participated in the festival last year and performed aarti at the GMDC ground.

Coronavirus Outbreak in Gujarat:

Gujarat on Saturday reported 1,417 new COVID-19 cases, taking the state's coronavirus tally to 1,31,808, while 13 deaths in the past 24 hours mounted the state's death toll to 3,409. A total of 1,419 patients were discharged on Saturday, taking the number of recoveries in the state to 1,11,909. The state has witnessed 35,373 cases in September at an average of 1,360 cases per day.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 27, 2020 09:19 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).