Despite coronavirus threat, Chennai continues to party hard

Crowds in bars are at an all-time high on Saturdays, explained a local IT professional who visited a recently opened bar in the city. Despite the recommendation from the government to avoid large spaces, this professional stated that the bar he visited was packed on Saturday. “We don’t know who has what. No one is wearing a mask because it’s a club, after all. There are people sharing straws and sharing cigarettes. The staff is too busy with the crowd to clean tables either,” said the 24-year-old.

After the PM tweeted that he would not be celebrating Holi this year for fear of spreading the disease, many expected Holi parties to be cancelled. However, several parties were held in many top hotels in the city.

A few were cancelled, including Rang De Holi, an annual Holi festival that was set to be held at Radha Regent last week. “Based on the notice of the Health Department and Chennai City Corporation, with a heavy heart we are cancelling Rang De 5 as per the notice that no major gatherings can take place in the city in lines with NCovid-19 virus situation. The health of our patrons and our very own Chennai is of much greater importance and will always be our top priority,” read their statement.