Puri: All arrangements are in place for reopening of Jagannath Temple, here to the devotees from outside the town from Monday.
The temple, which had remained closed since April 24 due to the second wave of COVID pandemic, will be reopened in phases following the decision of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA).
In the first phase of the reopening, only family members of the servitors were allowed entry on August 12 and 13. In the second phase, the residents of Puri town had darshan of the deities from August 16 to 20. In the final phase, those coming from outside Puri will be allowed to enter the temple.
As per the decision of the SJTA, the devotees can have darshan from 7 am to 7 pm on five days of the week. The temple will remain closed for public darshan on Saturday and Sunday when its premises will be sanitised.
It has been mandatory for the devotees to wear masks inside and outside the temple. They have to produce the certificate of two doses of COVID vaccination or COVID negative certificate with RT-PCR test conducted 96 hours before their visit to the temple. They have to also show their identity proof like Aadhaar or Voter ID cards.
They will enter through barricades opposite the shoe stand on northeast side of the temple and exit through Uttaradwar. The devotees would sanitize their hands before the entry and maintain physical distance.
The district administration, Puri Municipality and Fire Brigade personnel on Sunday sanitised the temple and its outside areas for the reopening. The four entry gates, show stand, kiosks and barricades outside the temple were sanitised.
