Tirupati temple shut indefinitely amid Coronavirus spread; devotees told to vacate

Following other major shrines, India's riches shrine and one of the most crowded temples -Tirupati, on Thursday, has decided to close the shrine indefinitely. Asking everyone to leave Tirumala by 6 PM on Thursday, the Tirumala Tirupati Devaswom Board has issued a notice stating that the temple will be closed for devotees indefinitely. The Board stated that priests will be continuing with regular pujas.

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Other shrines shut

Apart from Tirupati famous shrines like - Shirdi, Siddivinyak, Belur Math, Vaishno Devi, Amarnath, Mahalakshmi etc have been shut. Several other religious organisations too have postponed all events till March 31. Most state leaders have asked all churches, mosques, gurudwaras, temples and other religious shrines to be shut for the time being - to avoid public gatherings.

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Health Ministry's new measures:

• No scheduled international commercial passenger aircraft shall be allowed to land in India from March 22, 2020, for one week. Max travel time 20 hours is allowed for any aircraft.
• State governments shall issue appropriate directions so that all citizens above 65 (other than for medical assistance) except for public representatives /govt servants/medical professionals are advised to remain at home.
• All children below 10 years advised to remain at home and avoid picnics
• Ministry of Pharma & dept to take action against those charging exorbitant rates for masks, sanitisers, and logistics and also allow adequate supply to hospitals and people at large.
• Metros, Railways, buses, and airplanes will consider a reduction in crowds and encourage alternate spacing

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Coronavirus crisis in India

As of date, the total number of positive cases in India has risen upto 189 with four deaths throughout the country. India has suspended all visas and barred travel from Afghanistan, Philippines, EU, UK, China, Malaysia and mandatory 14-day quarantine from several other countries.  India has also closed the India-Pakistan border and restricted passenger movement at the border with Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Myanmar. The government is monitoring all suspected cases and issued preventive advisories with Bihar, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Assam, Delhi, Kerala, Jammu - Kashmir declaring the disease an epidemic shutting down all educational institutions, monuments, parks, gyms, swimming pools, pubs and banning large gatherings.  - visit the official government here: MINISTRY OF HEALTH & FAMILY WELFARE