Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Adityanath on Sunday said big events can be held while adhering to social distancing protocols pertaining to COVID-19, upending guidelines hitherto stressed by the authorities and leaving them open for misinterpretation.Adityanath said that the “Van Mahotsav” will be a witness to this.“Pre-COVID, during COVID and post-COVID are three categories, which the world will be able to clearly see. These will say what was the situation of the world before the COVID-19 outbreak, what was the condition during the outbreak and what will be the changes in the world after COVID,” he was quoted by PTI as saying at the commencement of the “Van Mahotsav” here on Sunday.Also read: No Crowding, No Physical Offerings: Health Ministry Announces SOPs for Religious PlacesThe Uttar Pradesh government has set a target of planting 25 crore saplings during the “Van Mahotsav”.Adityanath said, “At the same time, we have to fight the global pandemic as well. During this plantation programme, adherence to social distancing can be clearly seen. This is a good effort and all of us can organise big events while adhering to social distancing. This event is a witness to this. By following the treatment and prevention protocol during this global pandemic, we can be a part of the Van Mahotsav.”On March 25, the first day of the national lockdown, Adityanath flouted official social distancing and lockdown norms by taking part in a religious event in Ayodhya along with a large number of people.It is noteworthy that “big events” like the one the chief minister has mentioned offer particular challenges to adhere to social distancing norms. As India’s count of COVID-19 positive patients surges – with a most significant 24-hour leap of nearly 25,000 cases between Friday and Saturday morning – epidemiologists say it is necessary to stick to the only rules that can help prevent spread grows.Gatherings of more than 50 people are banned by most state governments in India. In Uttar Pradesh itself, no public gatherings had been allowed till June 30.Social or physical distancing has featured prominently in all advisories related to the pandemic, released by the Union health ministry, state government health departments and the World Health Organization.In its July 4 guidelines, the WHO stressed:“Maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between yourself and others. Why? When someone coughs, sneezes, or speaks they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain virus. If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets, including the COVID-19 virus if the person has the disease.Avoid going to crowded places. Why? Where people come together in crowds, you are more likely to come into close contact with someone that has COIVD-19 and it is more difficult to maintain physical distance of 1 metre (3 feet).”In a country as populated as India it is a challenge to conduct public events while maintaining the required distance, as has been visible in the Rath Yatra in Puri town of Odisha and several religious functions like the Kara Hunnime celebrations at Karjagi village in Karnataka – both of which saw a crush of people. A case has been registered against the thousands who participated in the latter function, while the Rath Yatra took place with the Supreme Court’s sudden nod.Earlier in April, even when the spike in COVID-19 cases was highest in Karnataka, thousands participated in a religious chariot-pulling procession in Kalaburagi district. Later, a case was registered against them.Across India, Ram Navami celebrations, too, were testament to the impossibility of maintaining distancing norms.Earlier, members of the Muslim community were singled out for blame for the spread of the pandemic for having attended a Tablighi Jamaat congregation in New Delhi and were boycotted, subjected to violent attacks and labelled carriers of the coronavirus in the country.Adityanath’s government had been particularly vocal in its singular vilification of Tablighi patients. At least two BJP MLAs, one of whom is a minister, were caught on video urging or enforcing the boycott of Muslim vegetable vendors.(With PTI inputs)