VANCOUVER -- It’s the celebration of light over dark, of good over evil, but like all big events in 2020, this year’s Diwali is much smaller.
For weeks, health officials have been calling for celebrations to be safe. The BCCDC issued specific guidelines, as did Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health.
On Saturday, the Punjabi Market on Vancouver’s Main Street was quiet, missing the crowds of previous years.
Manjit Pabla owns the Himalaya Restaurant at 49th Street, which specialises in Indian sweets. He believes most people are heeding the advice to stay home because in the last two days there has been a 50 per cent spike in orders coming through food delivery apps like Uber Eats.
“People usually buy sweets and go to temples or to the Gurdwara, which we see people aren't doing that,” Pabla said. “They’re just buying from home now.”
A lot of businesses in the market have never had an online presence, making it difficult to reach a customer base during a pandemic. A local group saw this gap and created an online marketplace, called the Punjabi Market Regeneration Collective.
Creative director Jag Nagra said it allows people to still get the gifts they want and stay safe.
“A lot of these are family-run businesses, so what we decided to do was give them a platform to be able to have their products on our virtual online shop.” Nagra said. “Right now, I think we have about 10 businesses and this is going to be an ongoing thing.”
Vancouver’s Diwali Festival has also been showcasing local talent through a series of YouTube videos.
Concerns about the holiday have been increasing with COVID-19 case numbers. The Fraser Health region is home to B.C.’s largest South Asian population and is also the province’s COVID-19 hotspot. The health authority was home to 424 of the 617 new cases announced by health officials on Friday.
