Even on the most humid of the puja days Ajoy Chakraborty was in his mask at the pandal. The priest and his assistant performing the rituals at BE Block in New Town were not to take their protective gear off even when they were performing hom in front of an open fire. The same was true for the dhak and kansor players.

This was the condition set by the organisers, BE Block Welfare Association.

Chakraborty says he did not mind. “Even for the household pujas I perform round the year, my clients do not allow me to take off the mask once I enter their houses. So I am used to it.”

This year, there are no charanamrita, no chopped fruits and no shanti jol either, added secretary Pulak Kumar Dey. “Our anjali took place in a socially distanced manner in batches of 20. And people left the spot as soon as their turn got over,” he added.

The block has been sanitising its streets on a weekly basis. “Other than a healthcare worker, we have not had a single case of infection in our block,” the block committee members said.