BJD Demands Entry Of Devotees To Puri Jagannath Temple Without COVID Document

Puri: The ruling BJD on Friday demanded entry of devotees to Jagannath Temple, here, without producing any COVID related document.

A delegation of the legal cell of Puri unit of the party held a meeting with the additional district collector and submitted a memorandum mentioning their demand to him.

They welcomed the decision of the district and temple administration to allow entry of the devotees to the temple. But the restrictions of producing documents like COVID negative test report and double vaccination certificate at the entry gates were depriving a large number of devotees of having darshan of the deities, they said.

Pointing out that the COVID infection rate has come down substantially in the state, the BJD activists said the people should be allowed to go inside the temple freely  as they were doing during the pre-pandemic period.

It may be noted that following the decision of the Chhatisha Nijog at a meeting on January 28, the temple was opened to the public amid COVID guidelines from February 1.

As per the SOP issued for entry into the temple, devotees have to produce their photo ID card along with a certificate of having taken double dose of COVID vaccines or negative report of the RT-PCR test done within 96 hours earlier.