All the temples under the Endowments Department will be reopened to restore the entry of devotees into the places of worship as per the instructions of Central and State governments from June 8 and necessary arrangements are being made, said Forest and Endowments Minister Indrakaran Reddy.
The Minister held a review meeting with the officials of Endowments Department at Aranya Bhavan here on Friday. He discussed the standard operating protocol (SOP) with the officials for the reopening of temples.
Mr.Indrakaran Reddy instructed the officials to sanitise the temple premises with sodium hypochlorite solution, make arrangements for queue lines following physical distancing norms and keep sanitisers handy at the entrance of the temples.
He advised those above 65 years of age, children below 10 years and persons with symptoms of COVID-19 not to visit the temples.
Though temples would be reopened as per the Central government guidelines, there would be no entry into the temples in the containment zones, Similarly people from containment zones also should not come to temples in other areas, he said.
Thermal scans would be set up to note the body temperature of people entering temples and every one should wear masks. Devotees would be allowed into the temples with all due precautions, he added.
However practices like taking bath in ‘pushkarini’, distribution of ‘prasadam’, accommodation facilities would be suspended. Devotees could purchase prasadam from the sales counters. For prominent temples, online booking services would function normally.
Endowments Commissioner Anil Kumar and other officials attended the meeting.
