Maharashtra govt releases SOP for preventing spread of COVID-19 in religious places

On Saturday, the Maharashtra government released the SOP for the reopening of religious places outside containment zones in the state from November 16. While the Ministry of Home Affairs permitted the reopening of religious places in India from June 8 onwards, the Maharashtra government decided against implementing this relaxation back then owing to the COVID-19 crisis. Organizations managing religious institutions have been asked to advise people above the age of 65, persons with comorbidities, pregnant women and children below the age of 10 years to stay at home. The installation of the Aarogya Setu app has been encouraged by the state government. Currently, there are 85,045 active novel coronavirus cases in Maharashtra while 16,09,607 patients have been discharged and 45,809 fatalities have been reported. 

Read: Religious Places To Reopen In Maharashtra From November 16 Amid Declining COVID-19 Cases

Here are the guidelines to contain the spread of COVID-19:

• Entrance to have mandatory hand hygiene and thermal screening provisions
• Separate entry and exits for visitors will be organised
• Only asymptomatic persons to be allowed in the premises of the place of worship
• Mandatory use of face masks
• Posters on preventive measures about COVID-19 to be displayed prominently. Audio and video clips spreading awareness about COVID-19 should be regularly played in all places of worship
• Staggering of visitors will be done by the trust managing the religious place in consultation with the local authorities
• Footwear should preferably be taken off inside own vehicle
• Proper crowd management in the parking lots and outside the premises
• All shops, stalls, etc. outside and within the premises shall follow social distancing norms
• Before entering the place of worship, people should wash their hands and feet with soap and water
• The seating arrangement should be made in a way that adequate social distancing is maintained
• Touching of holy books/ idols etc. is not allowed
• Large gatherings to remain prohibited

Read: Fadnavis Highlights Loss To Temple Economy Amid Reopening Demand, Takes Dig At Shiv Sena

BJP slams Maharashtra government

Meanwhile, BJP MLA Ram Kadam on Saturday lashed out at the Maharashtra government for delaying the reopening of places of worship for devotees. Kadam lamented that the state government did not pay heed to BJP's protests in this regard for the last three months. According to him, the Uddhav Thackeray-led government took this decision because it got scared of the "people's anger". He dubbed this development as a "big victory of the people". 

Read: 'Is Maha Govt Above Law?': Ayodhya Saint Questions MVA On Reopening Of Temples; Cites UP