COVID-19 pandemic disrupts Bengaluru’s social calendar

Civic officials rule out any public gathering till the end of 2021

The second wave may be behind us and Bengaluru may have unlocked, but the coronavirus is still around. This has meant that the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the city’s calendar for the second consecutive year as fears of an imminent third wave has resulted in the Karnataka government banning all public gatherings. The Lalbagh Flower Show, scheduled for Independence Day, has been cancelled. This is the third time in a row that the event had to be cancelled – the first time in its over-a-century-long history. “The show usually attracts over six lakh footfalls, which is definitely not advisable in the current scenario. So, we have cancelled the event. The show was cancelled once during the plague and twice during World War II, but never three consecutive times,” said M. Jagadeesh, Joint Director, Parks and Gardens, Horticulture Department.