As the State Government has allowed reopening of religious places with appropriate Covid-19 restrictions from Sunday as part of its unlock process, all are now waiting for Wednesday (August 4) when the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) would take a decision for reopening of the shrine here. SJTA Chief Administrator Dr Krishan Kumar has convened a meeting on virtual mode on the day to decide whether to allow devotees’ entry into the temple, a senior official said, adding that the Collector, SP and Chief District Medical Officer, members of the Temple’s Coordination Committee and temple officials would attend the meeting to take stock of the corona situation and decide when to open the shrine.
The State Government in its August guideline has categorically said that the SJTA and the Shree Lingaraj Temple Administration, Bhubaneswar, may decide opening of the temples in consultation with the concerned stakeholders and in compliance with the Covid-19 safety protocols.The Government notification also said that the religious places across the State would be reopened based on an assessment of the local situation by the district authorities.
However, no Prasad would be offered to the deities by devotees. The Jagannath Temple continues to remain out of bounds for the public for around 100 days.
The devotees were also prohibited to attend the Lords’ annual Rath Yatra on July 12. Even, the local residents were not allowed to visit the Grand Road and were also prevented from witnessing the festival from rooftops as all hotels, lodges, guesthouses were shut on the occasion.