Puri: The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) may do away with the mandatory COVID-19 test for devotees to enter the shrine from next week, according to a media report.
The SJTA is scheduled to hold a meeting in this regard on Sunday. “We expect a favourable decision,” an unnamed government official was quoted as saying by The Times of India.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Health Department suggested an end to the practice of insisting on a COVID-19 negative report for entering the temple, which reopened for all devotees on January 3.
While making a presentation to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on the pandemic situation in the state, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra said, “Mandatory testing for entry into temples may kindly be dispensed with as it is a time consuming process for devotees who come from far off places. Rather, COVID-19 appropriate behaviour should be strictly observed by the temple authorities as is being practised in other public places like shops and shopping malls.”
Notably, Governor Ganeshi Lal had to return from the Puri Jagannath temple on January 3 because he didn’t have the mandatory COVID-19 negative report.
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