Regulations set for entering places of worship in Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government has decided to go ahead with the central directive of opening the places of worship by ensuring precautionary measures from June 8. Number of people allowed inside at a time will be regulated.
Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said people above 65 years of age, those with co-morbidities, pregnant women and children below the age of 10 years are advised to stay at home.This is applicable to the priests too.
All places of worship should have facilities to record the details of the visitors. Physical distancing of a minimum of 6 ft should be maintained while in queue for entry. Touching statues/idols/holy books, etc. will not be allowed. Large gatherings/congregation will continue to remain prohibited. A maximum of 100 people will be allowed at a time in churches and mosques for the weekly prayers. In view of potential threat of spread of Covid-19, recorded devotional music/songs may be played and choir or singing groups should not be allowed.
Physical contact should be avoided while greeting each other. Common prayer mats should be avoided and devotees should bring their own mats/clothes which they may take back with them.
No physical offerings like prasadam or distribution or sprinkling of holy water, etc. will be allowed inside the religious place.
The entrance should have mandatory hand hygiene (sanitizer dispenser) and thermal screening provisions. Only asymptomatic persons shall be allowed entry and all of them should wear masks. Posters/standees on preventive measures about Covid-19 should be displayed prominently.
Footwear should be kept inside own vehicle, if possible. In case of families, footwear can be kept together in one slot. There should be separate gates for entry and exit.
In Sabarimala, the devotees will be allowed to have darshan through virtual queue, for which only 50 people will be given token at a time.
Meanwhile, the chief minister denied the demand made by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) that the places of worship should not be opened now. “We cannot accept that demand since we cannot continue shutting down everything for long. Covid-19 is going to remain with us for some time now. Hence we have to take precautions to prevent the spreading by allowing the life to move on,” he said.
IMA had warned that allowing large number of people inside the places of worship would result in spread of Covid-19. Physical distancing cannot be ensured in places of worship and hence the opening of such facilities should be delayed further, IMA had said.