Thousands gather without masks, social distancing to celebrate Bonalu festival in Hyderabad

Thousands flouted Covid rules to celebrate the Bonalu festival in Hyderabad in the wake of a surge in the number of cases in certain districts of the state.

Throwing caution to the wind, thousands gathered in Hyderabad, without masks and social distancing, to celebrate the Bonalu festival. A large crowd including police personnel and politicians flouted Covid rules to participate in the festival. This comes even as Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao held a cabinet meeting and discussed the Covid-19 situation in the state on Sunday. It was decided to intensify Covid testing in as many districts of the state in the wake of a surge in Covid-19 cases.