Puri: The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has started the process of COVID tests of the sevayats who were engaged in the Rath Yatra festival amid the pandemic in Puri recently.
On Sunday, swab samples were collected from 200 sevayats of Pujapanda Nijog, 104 sevayats of Garabadu Nijog, 10 of Hadapa Nijog, 400 of Pratihari Nijog and 11 of Kahalia Nijog.
On Day 1, swabs were collected from 400 sevayats of Suara Mahasuara Nijog, 200 sevayats of Pashpalak Nijog, 104 of Bimanabadu Nijog, 150 of Daitapati Nijog and 75 sevayats of Badu Suara Nijog at Bagedia Dharmasala at Bada Danda (Grand Road), Government Girls’ High School and Utkal Hindi Vidyapeeth in Markandeshwar Sahi.
Swab collection from the remaining sevayats will be completed by July 14, said SJTA spokesperson Laxmidhar Pujapanda.
In accordance with COVID guidelines, about 5,000 people — including servitors, police personnel and municipality staff associated with the Rath Yatra — had undergone the test for coronavirus.
