COVID-19 negative report not mandatory to enter Puri Jagannath temple from Jan 21

The Shree Jagannath TempleAdministration (SJTA) on Sunday announced that the devoteeswill not be required to produce COVID-19 negative report forgetting entry into the 12th century shrine in Puri fromJanuary 21.

The decision in this regard was taken at a meetingattended by SJTA chief Krishan Kumar, Puri districtmagistrate-cum collector Samarth Verma and SP K B Singh.

At present devotees entering the temple have to showCOVID-19 negative report.

''The devotees can enter into the temple without havingCOVID-19 negative report from January 21. The decision willremain in force till February 21,'' SJTA chief Krishan Kumartold reporters.

But, all the other COVID-19 protocols like wearing ofmask, social distancing will continue to be mandatory in thetemple, officials said.

After February 21, the temple management committee willreview the situation and take future course of action, theofficials said.

Kumar said the SJTA has decided to relax the restrictionwhich was imposed on temple entry for the general public.

The temple opened for public from January 3 afterremaining closed for nine months in the wake of thecoronavirus pandemic.

The decisions to relax the restrictions (no COVID-19report) will facilitate more devotees to get a darshan of thedeities, officials said.

The Puri Collector Samarth Verma said that specialarrangements and queue system will soon be introduced forelderly/senior citizens coming to the Temple.

The SJTA and district administration is makingarrangements to allow 30,000 devotees to visit the templeon a daily basis from January 21 adhering to COVID-19protocol, officials said.

Verma said the temple will remain closed on Sundays tocarry out sanitisation and disinfection measures.

The temple was opened in a phased manner from December23, 2020.

While the servitors and their family members wereallowed to enter the temple from December 23 to December 25evening, the local residents of Puri got opportunity to havedarshan of the deities between December 26 and 31.

The temple was finally opened to the public fordarshan of the sibling deities - Lord Balabhadra, DeviSubhadra and Lord Jagannath- from January 3, 2021 adhering tothe COVID-19 guidelines.

Puri is one of the four ''Dhams'' or most sacred placesof pilgrimages for the Hindus in the country.

The four Dhams are Jagannath Puri in East, Dwarika in theWest, Badrinath in the North and Rameswaram in the South.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)