Places of worship in Maharashtra allowed to open from Monday

The state also issued standard operating procedure (SOP), including compulsory wearing of masks, no physical offerings or prasad, no group singing or touching idols, among other preventive measures to contain the spread of Covid-19 in places of worship.

The Maharashtra government on Saturday gave its nod for the reopening of all religious places from Monday, lifting the Covid-enforced shutdown of eight months. The state also issued standard operating procedure (SOP), including compulsory wearing of masks, no physical offerings or prasad, no group singing or touching idols, among other preventive measures to contain the spread of Covid-19 in places of worship.

A statement from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said that Covid-appropriate behaviour, including wearing masks and no crowding, must be strictly maintained when visiting places of worships. (PTI)

As per the SOP issued by the state government, only those places of worship that are outside the containment zone shall be allowed to reopen. People over age 65 and below 10 years old, people with co-morbidities and pregnant women are advised to stay at home.

A statement from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said that Covid-appropriate behaviour, including wearing masks and no crowding, must be strictly maintained when visiting places of worships.

All places of worship were closed to the public since lockdown was imposed in March to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.

A statement from CMO said, “The people of the state observed discipline during this [Covid] period. That is why the situation in Maharashtra has not gone out of hand as in other states. Maharashtra has always been blessed by saints, Gods, and Goddesses. However, Holi, Ganeshotsav, Navratri and Pandharpur wari (procession) did not take place as a precaution. Not only that, but other religions also observed discipline, such as during Eid and the Mount Mary fair.”

The statement added that self-discipline will have to be maintained at these places. “You have to take off your slippers and enter the temple, but don’t forget that a mask is mandatory. Temples will open, other places of worship will open. Only if we follow discipline, then only we and Maharashtra will get God’s blessings.”

Meanwhile, Maharashtra reported 4,237 new infections and 105 deaths on Saturday, taking the tally to 1,744,698 and toll to 45,914. Mumbai saw 726 new cases and 16 deaths, taking the tally to 269,133 and the toll to 10,558.

Following Mumbai, Pune registered the second-highest number of cases, 522, and 18 deaths, followed by Nashik which saw 423 cases and two deaths. The MMR accounted for 34.86% or 1,477 cases of the new infections.

The state’s case fatality rate (CFR) stands at 2.63%.

State’s recovery rate improved to 92.41% after 2,707 patients were reported to have recovered, taking the tally to 16,12,314, according to the health department. Active patients’ tally in the state stands at 85, 503, including 16,185, the highest number of active patients in Pune.

The SOP order issued by chief secretary Sanjay Kumar added that individuals must maintain a distance of 6 feet, practice frequent hand washing with soap or sanitizer, compulsory masking, and respiratory etiquette must be followed. The order added that large gatherings and congregation will continue to remain prohibited.

The entrance of places of worship, according to the SOP, must have thermal screening and sanitizer dispenser. The state has also called for staggered entry of visitors in places of worship, which must be decided based on the size of the structure, ventilation etc. by the trust/board running the place and the local authorities.

Shoes and footwear, preferably, must be kept inside their own vehicles. If needed, it must be kept in a separate slot for each person or family by the person themselves. Touching of idols, statues, holy books is not allowed.

It added that with a view of a potential spread of infection, recorded devotional music/song must be played as far as feasible. Choir or group singing is not allowed. No physical offerings like prasad or distribution or sprinkling of holy water to be allowed inside places of worship, the SOP order added. The use of air-conditioner must be between the temperatures of 24 to 30 degree Celsius, while humidity must be in the range of 40-70, intake of fresh air should be as must as possible, the SOP said.

The reopening of places of worship had become a major point of friction between the ruling combine and the principal opposition party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). BJP had made several demands seeking reopening of temples and other places of worship after the Centre allowed reopening of religious places in its advisory in September. Maharashtra governor, Bhagat Singh Koshyari, in a stinging letter to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray last month, asked his government to reopen places of worship.

Welcoming the decision of the state government BJP leader Pravin Darekar said that the state government acted after the party and religious outfits put pressure on it to reopen religious places. “The government woke up late, but we welcome the decision. The decision came because we kept pressure on the government,” Darekar said in a statement.

Although the state has allowed temples to open, district collectorates have been directed to take necessary steps to augment the health infrastructure, anticipating a potential spike after Diwali. “The district administrations have been asked to ramp up the health infrastructure with 10% more bed facilities than they had in September when we witnessed a peak in the cases. Besides it, we have also asked them for aggressive tracking of contacts to keep the spread of the virus under check,” said an official from the health department.

The officials also said that after the temple and religious places were allowed to reopen from Monday, the decision about resumption of local trains for all will be taken after assessing the Covid-19 situation. “We had written to the Western and Central Railway two weeks ago, asking them to chalk out the plans for resumption of the local trains for all in non-peak hours. But we are not pushing for immediate resumption as there could be a spike in cases after Diwali. The decision over it may be taken a week after Diwali by reviewing the situation,” an official from Mantralaya said.