Temples in Maharashtra reopened from November 16, exactly nine months after it had been closed on March 16 due to COVID-19 pandemic. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, on November 14, announced the reopening of the places of worship but also cautioned people that the "demon of coronavirus" still persisted and called for the following discipline. Let's look at some of the guidelines before visiting the temples. (Image: Reuters)
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As per the guidelines, only asymptomatic people will be allowed inside places of worship and wearing of face mask is mandatory for devotees. The number of people to be allowed inside such places in a particular time slot will be decided on the size of the structure and ventilation. (Image: Wikimedia commons)
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The governing bodies of the religious places will be responsible for crowd management and people above 65, children below 10, and pregnant women have been advised to stay at home.(Image: AP)
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Religious places located out of COVID-19 containment zones will be allowed to remain open as per the timings decided by authorities, and devotees will be allowed inside in a staggered manner, the guidelines stated. (Source: Moneycontrol)
The Siddhivinayak temple located in Mumbai has decided to allow not more than 100 devotees an hour and at most 1,000 devotees a day. Those devotees who wish to visit have to download the temple's mobile app and fill in the required information before entering the premises. (Image: AP)
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The visitors will be allowed to enter Shirdi Sai Baba temple only after booking a specific slot online. Additionally, a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR result is mandatory. Children aged eight to 10 won't be allowed to visit the temple. (Image: Reuters)
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As per the guidelines released by the Centre, no physical offerings like prasad/distribution or sprinkling of holy water, etc should be allowed inside the religious place. Community kitchens, langars, 'Ann-Daan' etc at religious places should follow physical distancing norms while preparing and distributing food. (Image: Moneycontrol)
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The management of the religious places must ensure frequent cleaning and disinfection of the floors and other surfaces. Touching of statues, idols and holy books should not be allowed and large gatherings remain prohibited. Shoes / footwear to be preferably taken off inside their own vehicle. If needed they should be kept in separate slots for each individual / family by the persons themselves. (Image: Wikipedia)
