Religious places in Maharashtra to reopen from today

The reopening of places of worship in the state comes on day 1 of the nine-day Navratri festival.

Religious places across Maharashtra will reopen from today, day 1 of the nine-day Navratri festival, as announced by the chief minister Uddhav Thackeray's office (CMO) last month. “All places of worship will reopen from the first day of Navratri, i.e., 7th October, 2021, while observing all Covid-19 safety protocols,” the CMO had announced in a tweet on September 24.

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The Thackeray-led government had resisted immense pressure from the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to announce the reopening of places of worship, even as it gradually relaxed Covid-19 restrictions in the state. Last month, the administration had announced restrictions for festivals such as Ganesh Chaturthi and Janmashtami.

Additionally, the reopening of religious places comes in the backdrop of, and due to, low number of daily virus cases in the western state. Over the last few days, Maharashtra has seen just over 2000 coronavirus infections each day. On Wednesday, 2876 people tested positive for the viral illness, while 90 succumbed due to it, a health department bulletin showed.

The improvement in the state's Covid-19 situation has also led to the reopening of schools here; physical lectures resumed on October 4 for classes 5-12 in rural areas and 8-12 in urban areas. The government has also allowed establishments such as theatres and auditoriums to reopen after October 22 while strictly following all Covid-19 protocols.