Hindus in India are being warned not to relax their adherence to Covid-19 safety measures over the Diwali festival.
Despite a ban, thousands of fireworks are likely to be set off in cities and town across India, increasing already bad air pollution and raising the risk posed by Covid-19.
New Delhi's sprawling bazaars have been swarming with shoppers ahead of Diwali and the wedding season after the government relaxed regulations in a bid to breathe life into the lockdown-hit economy. Mask-wearing is common but social distancing is not, and infections may spike in coming days.
Diwali, the festival of lights, symbolises the victory of good over evil, and commemorates Lord Ram's return to his kingdom Ayodhya after completing a 14-year exile.
The capital reported 8,593 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, its highest daily tally yet. The average pollution reading was 299 on Thursday on a scale of 500, where any number above 300 is classified as very poor and can cause respiratory illnesses.
ICU facilities in the city are in such short supply that some hospitals are squeezing more beds into existing wards ahead of the weekend.
"We are firefighting because Diwali is looking like a super spreader event in front of us and the public just doesn't see the threat," said a senior health department official in Delhi, declining to be named.
The city was one of the first in the country to restart economic activity after the lockdown that started in March, letting restaurants, malls and other businesses restart to avoid spiralling joblessness.
