Further Ease In COVID Restrictions At Puri Jagannath Temple, Vaccination Certificate Not Mandatory

Bhubaneswar: The COVID restrictions at Jagannath temple in Puri has been further eased. Now, devotees no longer have to carry proof of full vaccination to enter the 12th-century shrine.

Shree Jagannatha Temple Administration (SJTA) Chief Administrator Krishan Kumar on Monday told the media that devotees are not required to carry the double-dose vaccination certificate from February 21. RTPCR certificate is also not mandatory for gaining access to the temple.

After remaining closed for about 20 days amid a surge in COVID cases, the temple threw open its gates for the devotees on February 1. Devotees were allowed to enter the temple from 6 am to 9 pm on all days, except Sundays for sanitisation.

The SJTA had then made it mandatory for the devotees to carry either their RT-PCR negative reports (valid for 96 hours from the date of issuance) or proof of full vaccination to enter the temple. These restrictions were valid until February 17.