Mumbai, November 14: Nearly eight months after all religious places and sites of worship were closed, the Maharashtra government has cleared the decks for their reopening. An order issued by the state government on Saturday stated that all places  of worship, including mosques, temples, gurudwaras and churches, would be allowed to reopen from November 16. Mumbai Local Train Update: Teachers, Non-Teaching Staff Allowed to Use Services.

The order, however, stressed on the adherence of COVID-19 safety norms by all the devotees. Wearing of masks will remain mandatory throughout the period of worship inside the religious sites. Maintaining social distance is also necessitated.

"All religious places in the state to re-open for devotees from Monday, 16th November. Wearing the mask will be compulsory, all COVID norms will have to be followed," the Government of Maharashtra said in its order.

Update by ANI

Most other provinces in India had allowed the places of worship to reopen from June-July onwards. Maharashtra, which was the worst-affected by the pandmeic in India, decided to keep the religious sites closed for a longer period. The decision was attributed to the possibility of overcrowding and mass congregations which may have increased the pace of virus transmission.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is the prime Opposition party in the state, had staged protests in several parts of Maharashtra last month against the Maha Vikas Aghadi government's decision to delay the reopening of religious places. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari also exchanged heated letters after the latter criticised him over the prolonged closure of places of worship.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 14, 2020 03:43 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).