Puri: The state government will conduct Covid-19 tests on all 5,000 people involved in this year’s Rath Yatra.
A decision to this effect was taken at a high-level meeting here Wednesday. Notably, a Srimandir servitor was tested positive for the deadly virus Tuesday.
As per the decision taken at the meeting, all servitors, police personnel, officials of the district administration and employees of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), who are involved in this year’s Rath Yatra directly or indirectly, would go through two rounds of Covid-19 tests before the culmination of the annual mega event.
“The Supreme Court has directed the state government to make all effort to check the spread of coronavirus during Rath Yatra. A servitor has been tested positive for the virus. So, it has been decided that all people who are supposed to take part in the Bahuda Yatra, Suna Besha, Adharapana and Niladribije ritual would go through Covid-19 tests,” said Srimandir Managing Committee working chairperson Suresh Mahapatra.
According to Mahaptra, Covid-19 tests would be conducted on all servitors, police personnel, officials of the district administration and employees of the SJTA who are involved in the mega festival.
Mahapatra further revealed that a meeting of the Chhatisha Niyog would be held Thursday and all servitors’ groups would be told to inform their members about the Covid-19 tests.
“We have planned to conduct tests on around 6,000 people including 2,500 servitors and 1,500 security personnel. People with negative test reports would be allowed to take part in the festival,” Mahapatra said.
This apart, the district administration would take steps to sanitise the Grand Road and some other parts of the city to check the spread of coronavirus.
SJTA chief administrator Krishan Kumar, meanwhile, said that the temple administration would distribute 5,000 cotton masks among the servitors. “The Boyanika will supply the masks. Two special health centres would be opened for the servitors,” he added.
Notably, the state government had conducted Covid-19 tests on around 2,000 servitors in several phases prior to the Rath Yatra.