Srinagar, August 11: All the religious places and places of worship within the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will reopen from August 16, an official release said on Tuesday. The J&K Government said that installation and use of Aarogya Setu App will be mandatory for all visitors. In a bid to contain the spread of coronavirus, the government has said that touching statues, idols or holy books will not be permitted to anyone.

In its notification, the J&K government said that due to relatively large number of pilgrims visiting Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra, there shall be a ceiling of maximum 5000 pilgrims per day till September 30. Moreover, a maximum of 500 pilgrims per day will be permitted within this ceiling in a graded manner from outside J&K. 4G Internet Service in Jammu And Kashmir's 2 Districts to be Restored After August 15 on Trial Basis, Centre Tells Supreme Court.

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The pilgrimage to the shrine in Reasi district was stopped on March 18 in view of the spread of coronavirus. The board had started online registration of devotees. The board also putin place door-mounted thermal scanners at multiple places while the bed capacity at free dormitories is being reduced temporarily to implement social distancing norms.

The coornavirus tally in Jammu and Kashmir reached 25,367 with 470 more people testing positive for the infection on Monday. The death toll in the union territory has mounted to 478, of which 443 were from the Valley and 35 from the Jammu region, the official said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 11, 2020 09:15 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).