Puri: Three days after the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration announced the closure of the holy premises for devotees, the administration announced Tuesday that all religious places in the district will be out of bounds for visitors till May 15. All temples, mutts, churches, mosques and other religious sites will remain closed till May 15, informed Puri Sub-Collector Bhabataran Sahoo.
He further said that the rituals at the religious places will go on as usual but the number of servitors and priests will be limited. Regarding the reopening of these places, a decision will be taken after reviewing the COVID-19 situation after May 15, he informed.
The administration’s decision to restrict visitors from visiting religious places came in the backdrop of rising COVID-19 cases in Puri district.
Notably, the SJTA had announced the closure of the Jagannath Temple April 24.
Puri district Tuesday reported 226 new cases of COVID-19. With this, the district’s tally has gone up to 17,701. The number of active cases and recoveries stands at 2,176 and 15,402 respectively.
PNN