Navratri Gift: Maharashtra Govt Orders Reopening of All Temples from Oct 7 With Covid Protocols

The Maharashtra government on Friday announced the reopening of all temples across the state from October 7, the first day of the nine-day long Navratri festival. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who made the announcement, urged people not to drop guard and continue Covid-appropriate behaviour in view of a possible third wave of the coronavirus pandemic. The Opposition BJP in the state had been demanding for a long to reopen all the temples as other activities have already resumed in a phased manner.

Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Office tweeted that all Covid-19 safety rules should be followed.

The Maharashtra government has prepared itself for a third wave, but with all precautions, the state is allowing relaxations in various activities, he said. The CM said though infections are declining in the state the coronavirus threat persists.

Although daily Covid-19 cases are showing a declining trend, everybody should take care and follow Covid-19 protocols, he said. While religious places are going to be opened, people still need to wear face masks and use hand sanitizers. The management of religious places will be responsible for implementation of such measures, Thackeray said.

The government issued a standard operating procedure (SOP) for devotees and officials managing places of worship to ensure strict implement of coronavirus-related protocols and curb spread of the infection. These strict measures include non-distribution of ‘prasad’ (offerings), no sprinkling of holy water, no touching of statues, idols or holy books and staggering the number of visitors to maintain social distancing, a government order said.

Face mask or covering of the face is mandatory while visiting religious places, it said, adding the minimum distance between two persons should be 6 feet. The state government advised senior citizens, pregnant women and children below 10 years of age to remain at home.

The management of shrines should provide separate entry and exit points for devotees, if possible, to avoid crowding, said the order. People should avoid physical contact while greeting each other, it said.

“Touching of statues, idols or holy books will not be allowed. If possible, people should carry their own prayer mats,” the order said. For long, the opposition BJP had been demanding reopening of temples and other places of worship in Maharashtra. Last month, the BJP had staged protests in several cities of Maharashtra in support of their demand.

After the first coronavirus wave waned, places of religious worship were reopened in Maharashtra in November last year, but they were shutdown again for people after the second wave started in the state in March 2021.Maharashtra on Friday reported 3,286 new coronavirus cases and 51 deaths, which took the state’s infection tally to 65,37,843 and the toll to 1,38,776, a health department official said.

With 3,933 patients discharged from hospitals, the number of recovered cases rose to 63,57,012. Maharashtra now has 39,491 active cases.

On August 30, workers and leaders of the opposition BJP had staged protests in several cities in Maharashtra against the Uddhav Thackeray-led government’s stand to not reopen temples as of now, which remain shut due to coronavirus restrictions. The protests, organised by the Aadhyatmik Aghadi (spiritual wing) of the BJP, were held in Pune, Mumbai, Nashik, Nagpur, Pandharpur, Aurangabad and other places where agitators rang bells and blew conches.

Maharashtra BJP president Chandrakant Patil, who led the protest in Pune city, had questioned the state government’s rationale behind allowing liquor and other shops to function but not extending the similar relaxation to temples and other places of worship.

Snapping back at the BJP, Uddhav Thackeray had reportedly said, “I request people not to protest for reopening of temples and other places. If you want to protest, protest against coronavirus.”

(with inputs from PTI)

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