Padmanabhaswamy Temple has decided to temporarily close for devotees until October 15 (Archive)
Thiruvananthapuram:
The famous Padmanabhaswamy temple in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram has been temporarily closed for devotees until October 15, as 12 staff members, including 10 priests, tested positive for coronavirus.
“The ‘tantri’ will do daily pujas, but no ‘darshan’ will be allowed,” said Ratheeshan IAS, executive director of Padmanabhaswamy Temple, adding that the ‘tantri’ generally only leads special ceremonies, but will be completed now because both the main priests have COVID-19.
“The decision was made after two high priests, eight underpriests and two guards at Padmanabhaswamy Temple tested positive for coronavirus. All were asymptomatic,” Ratheeshan added.
Padmanabhaswamy Temple had opened its doors to devotees on August 26, albeit with certain restrictions, after being closed to the public since the last week of March.
In addition to the mandatory wearing of masks, hand sanitizing and social distancing, the temple has restricted the number of devotees allowed per day and during specific morning and evening time slots. Devotees also cannot touch the idol, walls or any other surface.
The temporary closure comes against the background of an increase in coronavirus cases in Kerala, where 2.58 lakhs of people have been infected so far and 930 have died.
The increase has led to the re-imposition of many restrictions on movement and meetings. In the capital, Thiruvananthapuram, large gatherings were banned until October 31.
India now has a total of 69 lakh of coronavirus cases.
For three weeks, the number of new recoveries across the country has exceeded new cases, which have also declined steadily in this period, the Health Ministry said. However, health experts warned of a sharp increase in cases in some parts of the country ahead of the festival season and winter months.
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