Guruvayur temple closed for devotees as 22 employees test Covid positive

The Thrissur district administration has declared areas surrounding temple town as a containment zone

Kerala’s famous Sree Krishna temple in Guruvayur was closed for devotees for at least two weeks after 22 employees were tested positive on Friday. The temple administration said daily rituals and other offerings will continue as usual at the shrine.

Out of 160 employees at the temple, at least 48 have tested positive so far, after three rounds of random tests. (REUTERS)

Later, the Thrissur district administration has declared areas surrounding temple town as a containment zone. But weddings and other rituals, which were booked earlier, will be done outside the temple adhering to strict Covid-19 protocols, an official of the temple board said. Out of 160 employees at the temple, at least 48 have tested positive so far, after three rounds of random tests.

Most of the infected employees were asymptomatic. The temple administration has decided to conduct RT-PCR tests every month among employees.

One of the oldest temples that devotees believe was built by Deva Guru Brahaspati and Lord Vayu after deluge in Dwaraka (hence, Guruvayur), an estimated 2.5 million devotees throng the temple every year.