Bhubaneswar (SunstarTV Bureau): Amid the second wave of COVID-19, religious institutions remained close for devotees in Odisha capital, and the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued COVID guidelines to open all temples on Monday.
The guidelines are followed here:
- All the temples of Bhubaneswar within the jurisdiction of BMC will reopen with strict observance of COVID-19 safety protocols. However, no devotee shall be allowed inside the Garbhagriha of the temple area and will be allowed for Darshan from a safe distance only. There shall be no offerings like bhoga inside of temple or sanctum sanctorum.
- Devotees are advised to maintain social distancing of 6 feet among them. In no case, social distancing norms should be allowed to be violated.
- At any point of time, not more than 25 persons will be allowed to be congregated at any religious institutions like Temple/ Mosque/ Church/ Gurudwara.
- Similarly all other religious institutions like Mosque/Church/Gurudwara will also be allowed to open from August 23.
- All Temple/Mosque/Church/Gurudwara authority shall ensure RT-PCR testing of their priests/ sebayats and only RT-PCR negative and final COVID vaccination certificate holder will be allowed to perform rituals. The Priests/ Sebayats shall have to put on mask at all times as per COVID protocol.
- All devotees will have to wear mask and maintain social distancing of six feet from each other appropriately at all times.
- The Temple/ Mosque/ Church/ Gurudwara authorities shall make provision for hand washing/ hand sanitizer for the devotees at the entry and exit points.
- Spitting inside and outside the premises and chewing of Pan, Tobacco is strictly prohibited.
- The person with SARI/ ILl like symptoms shall not be allowed inside. Other vulnerable groups of people such as person with co-morbidities, old age persons, pregnant women or children below 18 years of age are strictly advised not to visit temple.
- The above guidelines shall be followed scrupulously by all concerned until further order. Any deviation will attract withdrawal of this permission for that institution.
