The much-debated Sunburn festival which was slated to take place from December 27 to 29 in Vagator has been cancelled by the government. Dy CM, Manohar Ajgaonkar on Friday announced that the Goa government has decided to cancel the in-principle permission given to the festival due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The EDM festival was earlier granted approval to operate with 20 per cent capacity by ensuring social distancing and other COVID-19 protocols are followed. After the approval from government authorities, the festival organisers had announced ticket sales earlier this week. However, the citizens had varied opinion about the developments. Outside the venue of the press conference on Friday, a crowd had been protesting. The general public was not in support of the government's decision amid the pandemic. Following which the state government revoke the in-principle permission granted for the festival. Sunburn Goa 2020 Cancelled After Facing Flak For Giving Permission During COVID-19 Pandemic, Netizens Heave a Sigh of Relief.

Considering the current situation, Percept Live, the creators of Sunburn festival had decided to live stream the event on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube with an aim to reach out to a wider fan base. Meanwhile, speaking about the Sunburn Festival, Health Minister, Vishwajit Rane said that anything can be organised by following Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). He was quoted as saying, "Anything can be organised as long as there are stringent SOPs in place. These SOPs are managed by respective collectors and properly monitored. It is necessary to have stringent SOPs."

He added, "Cases and deaths here have come down. I am very happy to say that doctors of Goa Medical College and DHS have been doing a very good job. The plasma collection has also gone up at Goa Medical College." According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Goa currently has 2,065 active COVID-19 cases.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 07, 2020 08:53 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).