VIJAYAWADA: Just two days to Vinayaka Chaturthi, Endowments minister Velampalli Srinivasa Rao has said there would be no public celebration this year in view of COVID-19 pandemic. He has asked people to perform poojas at home instead of organising pandals.

Rao had held a meeting with endowments and police officials on Thursday.

He said that people should not opt for idols over three-feet and that after the celebrations, the idol must be immersed in water bodies closer to the venue, as reported by a daily.

Rao added that no rallies will be allowed during idol immersion this year in view of the pandemic and that all Ganesh pandals are banned this year in the state.

The annual festival of Ganesha Chaturthi marks the birth of Lord Ganesha, the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. The auspicious festival begins on August 22 this year. The 10-day festival concludes on the day of Ananta Chaturdarshi, when the idol is submerged in a water body, called Ganesha Visarjan.

Lord Ganesha is one of the most worshipped deities amongst Indian Hindus. Also known as Vinayaka or Ganpati, the elephant God is revered as the God of beginnings and the remover of obstacles.

Andhra Pradesh's COVID-19 tally touched 3.16 lakh on Wednesday as 9,742 more cases were added in the last 24 hours. The coronavirus toll mounted to 2,906 as 86 fresh casualties were reported. The latest bulletin said 8,061 COVID-19 victims got cured and discharged from hospitals across the state in the last 24 hours.

After showing a declining trend for three days last week, the number of active cases once again saw a spike and now stood at 86,725 after 2,26,372 patients had recovered.