Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], October 19 (ANI): In view of the COVID-19 situation in the state and to contain the spread of the virus, the Calcutta High Court on Monday said Durga Puja pandals would be no-entry zones for the visitors.

The court also ordered that people would not be allowed within a five-metre distance for small pandals and 10 metre for big pandals. The HC also asked each puja committee to submit a blueprint on crowd management

Also Read | Delhi Air Pollution: Odd-Even Scheme to Be Last Option if Other Methods to Improve the Air Quality Fail, Says Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai.

Only the organisers can enter the pandal and for that names have to be put up outside the pandals beforehand. Only those people would be allowed to enter whose names will be mentioned outside the pandal.

Maximum 25 members are allowed in the pandal premises and the number of visitors is to be fixed, which will remain the same during the Durga puja celeberations. The court's order will apply to all 34,000 registered Durga Puja pandals in the state.

Also Read | 'Pollution Problem Can Be Solved in a Year if There Is Political Will', Says Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.

Last week, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had urged Durga Puja Committees not to allow people without masks in pandal during Puja celebrations.Addressing a press conference here Banerjee had said, "I request Durga Puja Committees to not allow people without masks in pandals. They should be kept in a separate zone. If puja committees can give masks then it's fine, but we can't expect everyone to do the same."

This year, Durga Puja be celebrated from October 23 to October 26. As the festive week of Navratri kicks off, devotees are looking forward to celebrate Durga Puja across India. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)