The popular Sunburn EDM festival will be held in Goa in December-end only if the Covid-19 scenario in the coastal state is manageable, the main organiser of the event and managing director of Percept Live Harindra Singh said on Friday.
Singh's comments come at a time when nearly all opposition parties, as well as some ruling MLAs, have opposed the organisation of the electronic dance festival (EDM) festival amid the pandemic in the state which has resulted in 633 deaths so far, even as a total of 44,747 persons have tested positive for coronavirus.
The organiser of the Sunburn event, which on an average attracts thousands of music lovers, also said that the 14th edition of the music event would be a toned-down affair with only a cap on 10,000 guests, spread over the three-day event scheduled to be held from December 27-29.
"We were never planning to organise the event unless the Covid situation is manageable and the authorities believe that it is in control... So I want to reassure each one of you that we are not going to do the sunburn even if it's not believed to be safe at that point in time," Singh told a press conference in Panaji.
"Last year we had five (performance) stages, this year there will be only three stages. We want to make sure there's no crowding," Singh also said, adding that all SOPs, including wearing of masks, social distancing would be rigidly followed at the event, if and when it is organised.
"I'm gonna make sure everyone wears a mask. I am more concerned about Covid than anyone else. So if anyone believes, that we want to be stupid and make money at the cost of your health. No, we don't want to," Singh also said.
Opposition parties led by the Congress have demanded that the event should be postponed in wake of the ongoing pandemic, even as Health authorities in the state have warned of a second Covid-19 wave in Goa over the coming months.