Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has issued detailed guidelines for celebration of the Mahashivratri festival, falling on March 1 (Tuesday) this year. Issuing an order in this regard, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) PK Jena said the devotees must follow Covid-19 safety protocols such as wearing face masks, maintaining physical distancing and hand hygiene.
There is a continuous decrease in the number of Covid-19 cases in the state and the number of active cases has also decreased. However, a large number of devotees are likely to congregate at various Shiva temples on the festival of Mahashivaratri, which have a large potential for spread of Covid-19 infections, Jena said.
Odisha govt’s Covid guidelines for Mahashivaratri: 5 points to know
- Considering local conditions, the collectors, municipal commissioners and police commissioner (Bhubaneswar-Cuttack) can impose appropriate restrictions on entry of devotees into the temples, the SRC said.
- Further, mela/congregations outside/ within the temple premises may be restricted so as to avoid mass gatherings/crowding, the SRC added.
- The local authorities have been authorized to decide the number of persons to attend any religious ritual in their respective jurisdictions with strict adherence to Covid appropriate behaviour and norms.
- As per the schedule fixed at a meeting between servitors and Lingaraj temple’s executive officer, Mahadeep will be raised atop the Lord Lingaraj temple here at 10 PM on Mahashivaratri.
- On Saturday, Odisha recorded 293 fresh Covid-19 cases, which is the lowest this year. The state had registered 228 cases on December 31. With the death of another four persons due to Covid-19 in Odisha, the death toll rose to 9,056.
(With IANS inputs)
