731 temples in rural areas reopened in Coimbatore

The Coimbatore district administration has permitted 731 temples in the rural areas to be reopened from Wednesday based on the directions of the State government, District Collector K. Rajamani said.

In a release issued on Thursday, he said only 731 of the 1,459 temples under the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department in rural areas that were not under any Corporation, Municipality or Town Panchayat areas were reopened.

All temples in the State were closed since March 24 due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

Although the temples had been opened after nearly 100 days, devotees visiting the temple must adhere to the precautionary measures such as wearing masks, avoiding physical contact and not bringing items such as flowers, fruits and coconuts to the temple.

Devotees from containment areas, those who were aged above 65 years and below 10 years, pregnant women and those with co-morbidities must avoid visiting temples, Mr. Rajamani said in the release.

The temples must ensure that devotees were screened using thermal scanners and they washed their hands before entering the temple premises. Masks and gloves that were left behind by the devotees must be disposed of carefully. In case of weddings at temples, not more than 50 persons should be allowed to participate and only one wedding must be allowed per day, the release said.