Panaji, September 8: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday said that the state government is fully prepared for the possible third wave of COVID-19 and urged the people to be cautious.

While speaking to ANI, Sawant said, "The government is fully prepared, but people also have to be fully prepared."

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"No one had thought that the second wave of COVID-19 would strike with such severity. We need to be alert," he added.

Speaking on the Ganesh Chaturthi, Sawant said that he has asked the administration to withdraw the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) stopping priests from going to individual households for Ganesh Chaturthi puja.

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"I personally do not agree with some of the guidelines that were issued in the SoP, especially the one stopping priests from going to individual households for puja. Ganesh Chaturthi is the most important festival in Goa and such rituals are an integral part of it," he tweeted.

"While the Expert committee may have suggested such curbs, I have asked the administration to withdraw the SoP immediately. Chaturthi must be celebrated with full fervour while taking all the necessary precautions, given the pandemic. May Lord Ganesh bless us all," he said in another tweet. Many states have imposed restrictions on the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations due to the COVID-19.

Ganesh Chaturthi, a ten-day festival that starts on the fourth day of the Hindu lunisolar calendar month Bhadrapada, will start on September 10 this year.

(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)