Now, masks up to enter temples in Maharashtra

The respective temple managements have been instructed to follow COVID-appropriate norms and take proactive steps to prevent the spread of contagion during the Christmas and new year’s celebrations

Anticipating heavy rush in the coming days, various temples across Maharashtra have asked their staff to mandatorily weak facemasks while urging devotees to follow the suit.

As part of the increased health security measures, devotees have been asked to wear masks and maintain social distancing. (REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO)

Devotees visiting Saibaba Sansthan Trust (Shirdi), Saptashrungi Niwasini Devi Trust and Shree Trimbakeshwar Devasthan Trust have been asked to wear masks after the advisories issued by the central health ministry in the wake of rising cases in China and Japan.

According to the Maharashtra government, the respective temple managements have been instructed to follow COVID-appropriate norms and take proactive steps to prevent the spread of contagion during the Christmas and New Year’s celebrations.

As part of the increased health security measures, devotees have been asked to wear masks and maintain social distancing.

On Saturday, Ahmednagar district guardian minister Radha Krishna Vikhe Patil stated that social distancing norms must be followed when devotees enter the temple complex.

“Due to the festive season, Shirdi sees a large influx of devotees, with up to eight lakh devotees expected to visit the temple for darshan. Because of the rush, masks have been made mandatory for senior citizens and patients, who are among the most vulnerable groups,” government officials said.

Shirdi Temple Trust Public Relations Officer (PRO) Eknath Gondkar said “We have started educating the devotees to wear face masks as per the guidelines of the government. However, we won’t stop anyone who is not wearing a mask while entering the temple campus.”

The Maharashtra government had also issued guidelines the day before, following PM Narendra Modi’s appeal for stricter implementation of COVID-19 guidelines in the wake of the arrival of passengers at various airports across the country.