Amid news of the Sunburn electronic dance music being held in Goa in December, social media users have been quick to slam the state government for approving the festival even as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to affect lives in the country.
The music festival will be held in Vagator on December 27, 28, and 29.
On Sunday, state tourism minister Manohar Ajgaonkar said that it was fine to hold such festivals as long as social distancing is maintained. According to a report by The Times of India, he said: “We don’t want to hold it at a very large scale, this year, it would be restricted to around 12,000 people.”
Assuring that Sunburn Goa 2020 will be a safe event, COO of Percept Live Karan Singh said in a press release, “Covid-19 has literally put the pause on life. In India, we have witnessed stringent lockdown measures since March 2020. An unprecedented 7 months of staying in and staying safe. With the Unlock procedures initiated and specially Unlock 5 permitting ground events, we figured it’s time to restart lives.”
The Sunburn’s tagline for the year is, “Your safety is Our Priority.” The festival will adhere to the social distancing measures, Covid-19 protocols set by the government and WHO. The festival is expected to have a limited capacity of 20% this year.
According to the protocols, face masks are mandatory for everyone and entries will be allowed only after a check on the Aarogya Setu app. Attendees will be checked for their body temperature and sanitisation facilities will be made available at entry gates.
In an attempt to reach a wider fan base, the festival’s organisers will be live streaming the events on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Social media users took to Twitter to express their apprehension about the festival amid the pandemic.
— Vaishanavi Raul (@RaulTweets_) November 1, 2020
Covid19 ! pic.twitter.com/S1hyhj7oQD
— Mango Man (@__Mango_Man_) November 1, 2020
Some expressed their concerns over the risks posed by the festival.
Hoping this gets cancelled. Hoping sponsors and partners pull out of this stupidity.
— Sohini (@Mittermaniac) November 1, 2020
Even Tomorrowland was cancelled and happened virtually. Read the room. This is highly irresponsible. You’ll are putting the people of goa at risk. Tourism is one thing. Inviting hordes of people is another.
— Gitanjali Palekar (@geetss_) November 2, 2020
WTF you mean by 20% capacity ? Are you going to put circles infront of the stage for drunk people to dance with social distancing ? Our Goan doctors are already not getting paid + have to leave their residency to convert rooms for Hospital beds. Have some sense of responsibility.
— CONRAD BARRETO * (@conradbeckham) November 1, 2020
