Pandemic Upswing: Bhubaneswar Shuts Down All Religious Institutions For Devotees

Bhubaneswar: The municipal corporation authorities of the State Capital city of Odisha on Tuesday announced to close down all religious institutions under its jurisdiction as a precautionary measure to put a lease on the continually rising trend of novel-Coronavirus cases.

The decision comes at a time when Bhubaneswar is on the verge of breaking its all-time record tally of Covid positive infections. The Smart City and other regions comprising the Khordha district unit today reported a whopping 820 new cases.

BMC Commissioner Prem Chandra Choudhury released a video clip appealing all citizens of the city to abide by the restrictions issued by the authorities and stay away from visiting temples at any cost.

Under the authority of empowerment by Odisha government, the BMC as the local governing body of Bhubaneswar hereby imposes restriction on entry of devotees into all religious shrines in the city until further orders.

Be it at temples, churches or mosques, only essential rituals will be conducted by required number of servitors. The decision will be reviewed once the situation improves, BMC Commissioner said.

Here are the detail guidelines:-

The BMC has already closed down the famous Lingaraj Temple in the city a few days ago after a number of sevayats attached with the shrine were tested Covid positive.