‘Negative COVID test report, prior hotel booking must for visiting Una’s Chintpurni temple’

For people visiting famous Chintpurni temple in Himachal Pradesh's Una district from outside the state, a negative COVID test report and a prior hotel booking for two days will be mandatory.

For people visiting famous Chintpurni temple in Himachal Pradesh's Una district from outside the state, a negative COVID test report and a prior hotel booking for two days will be mandatory. Chintpurni temple is one of the five “Shakti Peeths” located in the state. The other four are Jwalamukhi, Vajreshwari and Chamunda Devi in Kangra and Naina Devi in Bilaspur district.

Issuing the standard operating procedure (SOP) for visitors to Chintpurni temple in Amb tehsil from outside the state, Una Deputy Commissioner Sandeep Kumar said a negative “reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for COVID-19 would be a must. The other mandatory requirement will be that of prior hotel booking for at least two days, he added.

Chintpurni temple along with other religious places in Himachal Pradesh is being reopened from September 10. Religious places in the state were closed for the general public on March 16 to check the spread of novel coronavirus. All the devotees will have to register themselves at Chintpurni Sadan before going to pay obeisance at the temple, the deputy commissioner said.

All the devotees will be medically screened and symptomatic people will not be allowed to visit the temple, he said, adding that they would be isolated and hospitalised. Urging the devotees to abide by the guidelines issued by the state government and the district administration, Sandeep Kumar said that all types of offerings including Prasad, coconut and flower will not be allowed in the temple. As per the SOP, issued earlier by the state government for visiting religious shrines, the visitors will be barred from touching any statue or the temple bells etc, said Kumar.

The visitors will have to adhere to all the anti-COVID precautions including maintaining physical distancing, wearing of face masks, etc, he added. People above 65 years of age and children below 10 years, besides persons with comorbidities and pregnant women are advised to stay at home, he added.