Only fully vaccinated to get entry from Oct 7 as per SOPs issued by District Administration
Nagpur: Even though the Maharashtra Government announced reopening of religious places from October 7 in the State, the entry will be with several riders including full vaccination. As per the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued by Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and District Collector, the devotees and others will be allowed entry to places of worship subject to certain conditions.
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Sat 21 Dec. 2024
According to the SOPs, the first and foremost condition makes it ‘mandatory’ for members of management/trust and employees of places of worship, as well as for devotees/visitors to have completed 14 days since taking the jab of the second dose of Covid-19 vaccine. They will get entry only after producing a vaccination certificate and photo identity card at the entry gate.
Other conditions include persons below 18 years of age will get entry to places of worship only if they show their Aadhaar card, PAN card, or school/college identity card as their age-proof. There will be a ‘strict ban’ on spitting and those violating the ban will face penal action. The management will have to make arrangements for a sanitiser dispenser, soap and water, and thermal screening of visitors at the entrance. Only the people ‘not having any symptoms’ will be given entry. Persons not wearing a face-mask will not be given entry to places of worship. The visitors will have to maintain a distance of 6 feet from each other.
The SOPs issued by District Collector R Vimala and Municipal Commissioner Radhakrishnan B for rural and urban areas respectively have directed the managements of religious places to have ‘marking’ in the premises to regulate the visitors and also maintain physical distancing norms. Further, they will have to fix the number of persons allowed at a time, depending upon the area of the place, structure, ventilation etc. As far as possible, there should be separate paths for entry and exit of visitors, the SOPs stated.
The devotees will not be allowed to touch the idol/holy book etc at the place of worship. Also, there will be ban on big conventions/meetings.The SOPs specifically ask the temple trust/devotees not to distribute prasad or perform rituals like sprinkling holy water etc.The places of worship have been asked to make arrangement for regular disinfection of flooring, and disposal of face mask/tissue papers. If a suspected patient of Covid-19 is found on the premises of the place of worship, the said person should be isolated immediately and the nearest hospital should be informed about it. In such cases, the public health authority concerned shall make a ‘risk assessment’ and undertake contact tracing, disinfection of premises etc.
