Puri: The public Darshan of Lord Jagannath and his siblings at the Srimandir in Puri will remain closed on Wednesday in view of Mahalaya.
According to sources in the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), the temple will also remain closed for the devotees not only tomorrow but also all other major festive occasions in order to avoid any spike in transmission of Covid-19 on account of large gatherings that are anticipated on such festive occasions.
The temple will also remain shut for the devotees on October 15 (Dussehra) and October 20 (Kumar Purnima) during the current month. However, all rituals of the Lords will be performed as per tradition and time, the sources said.
As per existing norms, the temple remained closed for public darshan on all Sundays as a measure to contain the spread of Coronavirus disease and in order to sanitize the temple premises.
This matter will be reviewed again for the month of November 2021 or as required from time to time, they said.
In its SOP, the SJTA has decided to allow public darshan in the temple from 7 am on all weekdays (non festival day). It is mandatory for all devotees to wear masks at all times, inside & outside the temple.
All devotees will have to produce the final certificate for Covid-19 vaccination (of having taken two doses) or Covid-19 negative certificate (RTPCR) of testing done within 96 hours prior to their visit to the temple
