The Karnataka government has recommended a cap on allowing general public at Aero India 2021 in view of a second wave of Covid-19 forecast for early next year.

With the showcase aerospace exhibition slated for February 3-7, the state health department has written to the defence ministry about limiting the presence of visitors by providing a “virtual” alternative.

The health ministry has in the letter to the director of the defence exhibition organisation recommended that people who usually flock to the exhibition in thousands could be restricted by allowing some to attend physically and others to view the events online.

The decision to restrict the number of people at the event held every year at the IAF base in Yelahanka in north Bangalore was based on the health ministry’s technical advisory committee report that warned of a second wave of Covid-19 in January-February.

A defence ministry official, who cannot be named, told The Telegraph on Friday that a final decision on limiting the entry of general public would be taken by the ministry.

“We have two more months to go for the event. So the decision will come closer to the event itself,” the official said.

“At the moment, we (in Bangalore) are going ahead with full-scale preparations for the event. Since it is a very dynamic situation, we are ready to make any changes in plans in keeping with the Covid guidelines,” the source said.

While the initial days of the event are restricted to delegates and participants, thousands of people turn up on the last two days, especially to watch the aerobatic displays.

A health ministry official said the Covid guidelines at that time would dictate the number of people who could be allowed to enter the venue.

“We can only hope against a second wave of the pandemic. Since the situation is very fluid, we will be monitoring the daily Covid cases before recommending the number of people that can enter the venue,” said the official.

The daily Covid numbers have steadily climbed down from over 10,000 in early October to over a 1,000 in the last few days.

“We can relax the suggested restrictions if this downward trend continues and a second wave does not happen,” he added.