Navratri 2020: From COVID-19 Testing to E-Darshans, Here is How Temples in India are Gearing-Up for Festive Season Rush Amid The Pandemic

New Delhi, October 16: With Navratri 2020 beginning on Saturday, temples across the countries are gearing up to ensure proper safety of the devotees in the middle of COVID-19 outbreak. During this nine-day festival, temples get a huge footfall with devotees pouring-in in huge numbers from different parts of the country. This year, Navratri begins on October 17. The temple authorities are taking stringent precautionary measures and have come up with innovative initiatives to ensure a smooth run of events during Navratri.

Mata Mansa Devi Temple in Panchkula, Haryana, is offering e-darshans of the temple along with postal delivery of the prasad across the country. Scenes from the temple will be shown live on the shrine’s official Facebook and YouTube pages. Navratri 2020: Fashion Designing Students in Gujarat’s Surat Perform ‘Garba’ Sporting Hand-Painted Costumes Made of PPE Kits.

A provision of ‘preferential darshan’ is also in place. It has been introduced on a trial basis with a Rs 50 token issued to each devotee for special entry from gate number 2 after getting tested negative for COVID-19. To maintain proper social distancing, only 100 devotees will be allowed inside the temple in an hour and around 1,600 in a day.

The shrine has also introduced e-tickets. MS Yadav, CEO Shri Mata Mansa Devi Shrine Board, said as quoted by ANI, “Around 11,000 e-tickets will be on offer and free Covid testing will be done at the entrance.” Devotees can get their e-tickets from the board’s website www.mansadevi.org.in.

Read the tweet by ANI quoting Mansa Devi Temple's CEO:

The security at Mata Vaishno Devi Temple in Jammu has also been beefed up and a Quick Reaction Team comprising police and CRPF personnel is being deployed. The temple is being properly sanitised and strict social distancing norms are to be followed. Devotees coming from outside Jammu and Kashmir will need to have a valid COVID-19 negative test report to enter the temple. Navratri 2020 Dates & Colours for Facemask: Day-Wise List of Navaratri Colour Code For Nine-Day Festival of Goddess Durga.

The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has made proper arrangements for the darshans during the COVID-19 period. “Pony, Pithu & Palki services have resumed. Helicopter & battery car services operational We have COVID-19 testing facility here too," said  CEO, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board. Devotees can book their tickets online at ht www.maavaishnodevi.org.

Here is the tweet by ANI quoting CEO, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board:

Sheetla Mata temple of Gurugram has also adopted stringent precautionary measures. The temple staff which comes in the direct contact of the devotees will be tested twice for COVID-19 during the Navratri period.

Dr Virender Yadav, chief medical officer, Gurugram, said, “A day before Navratri starts, all the staff members of the temple will be tested for Covid-19.” Another round of COVID-19 test will be conducted on October 21 or October 22. An order was issued by the district administration, stating that the temple operators would have to follow prescribed social distancing norms and other precautions.

All the temples around the country are taking the required steps to ensure proper safety of the devotees. The local administration is also on foot supervising the preparations. The onus now lies on the devotees to follow the social distancing and precautionary measures to have a happy and COVID-19 free Navratri.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 16, 2020 12:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).