Puri Jagannath temple closes doors, Odisha Govt asks other religious places to follow

After the Administration of the Puri Jagannath temple announced its decision to close doors to devotees amidst the Coronavirus outbreak, the Odisha government has now issued an advisory to all religious institutions to follow suit. On Wednesday, the State government had asked all religious institutions to adhere to the COVID-19 prevention norms, following which the Jagannath temple in Puri decided to shut its doors to help contain the spread of the virus. 

Read: Coronavirus Outbreak: Puri Jagannath Temple To Shut Its Doors To Devotees From Friday

Now the State government after careful consideration has directed the District Magistrates to enforce similar restrictions in all religious places - temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras, etc throughout the State with effect from 20 March 2020 to April 1 2020. It is clarified that essential rituals may continue without dislocation.

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Puri Jagannath Temple closed

In the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak, the Puri Jagannath temple in Orissa will be closed to prevent the mass gathering of the devotees amidst the virus scare. The administration of the temple announced that the temple would be closed for the devotees from Friday. The administration also revealed that despite the closure of the temple to the devotees, rituals would be carried out within the temple as per usual.  

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"Despite closure for the general public, rituals will be carried out as usual at the temple," Krishan Kumar, Chief Administrator, Shree Jagannath Temple of Puri, informed reporters. He added that only priests and sevayats will be allowed to enter the temple premises.

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