Temples in Ayodhya to reopen from June 1, devotees urged to follow COVID safety norms

NEW DELHI: In the wake of declining coronavirus cases in the country, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to open all major temples in the holy city of Ayodhya from June 1. However, the leading seers of Ayodhya have made an appeal to the devotees coming for 'darshan' to strictly follow the COVID-19 guidelines and safety protocols put in place by the Centre and the state government.

The saints have urged the devotees to come for ‘darshan’ only after getting vaccinated. Besides, the devotees will have to mandatorily were a face mask and regularly sanitise their hands before entering the holy shrines and other religious places.

The Ayodhya district authorities have also decided to allow only five devotees at a time for 'darshan' inside the temples with strict adherence to COVID norms. It may be recalled that the doors of all major temples in Ayodhya were closed before the festival of Ramnavami in the wake of a massive surge in coronavirus cases in the state.

However, since there is a significant decline in new cases of coronavirus infection these days, the authorities have decided to open the temples for the public gradually. Hanumangarhi temple priest Raju Das has appealed to the general public and devotees to come out for darshan only after getting the vaccine. 

Mahant Gauri Shankar Das, the national spokesperson of the All India Vaishnav Akhara Parishad, said, “people of this country saw very unfortunate days during the pandemic.’’ The only way to keep everyone safe is to wear a mask, get vaccinated and follow the Centre’s COVID safety norms, he said.

The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday extended the relaxations announced in the coronavirus curfew to six more districts from June 1, allowing shops and markets outside the containment zones to open for five days a week.

The relaxations will be applicable to a total of 61 districts from Tuesday, while 14 districts with an active COVID-19 caseload of over 600 have been kept outside the purview of the order for the time being.

"The relaxations were announced in 55 districts on Sunday, which has now been increased to 61 (of the state's 75 districts). According to latest reports, the active caseload has fallen below 600 in Sonbhadra, Deoria, Baghpat, Prayagraj, Bijnore and Moradabad, and the relaxations will be applicable in these six districts as well," an official spokesperson said. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath with senior officials, he added.

The 14 districts where there would be no relaxation are Meerut, Lucknow, Saharanpur, Varanasi, Ghaziabad, Gorakhpur, Muzaffarnagar, Bareilly, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Bulandshahr, Jhansi, Lakhimpur-Khiri, Jaunpur and Ghazipur, the spokesperson said.

In the remaining 61 districts, shops and markets outside the COVID-19 containment zones will be allowed to remain open from 7 am to 7 pm from Monday to Friday, he said. Eateries on highways and vendors will also be allowed to operate, according to a statement issued by the state government.

The night curfew will remain in place from 7 pm to 7 am and weekend restrictions or the "corona curfew" will also be in place on Saturdays and Sundays. Instructions were issued that over the weekend, cleanliness, sanitisation and fogging campaigns will be carried out.

Shopkeepers and their employees will have to wear masks, maintain a two-yard distance with each other and customers, and ensure the arrangement of a hand sanitiser. These rules will also be applicable to the customers.

While there would be full attendance for the frontline workers, for the rest of the government employees, there would be 50 per cent attendance on rotation. A COVID help desk must also be established at all offices. The private sector has been asked to encourage the employees to work from home.

According to the statement, industrial units will stay open while vegetable markets in the densely populated areas will function in open places. At railway stations, airports and bus stands, all Covid protocols have to be followed. Screening of passengers and antigen tests have to be conducted. The roadways buses have been allowed to operate within the state.

Schools, colleges and educational institutes will remain closed while teachers and other staff have been allowed to come to school for administrative work.

Not more than five devotees will be allowed inside a religious place at a time.  Coaching centres, cinema halls, gymnasiums, swimming pools, clubs and shopping malls will remain closed, the statement said. A maximum of 20 people will be allowed at a funeral procession, it added.