The Maharashtra Government has decided to reopen religious places across the state from Monday. All the places were closed ever since the lockdown struck the country. Although other states had reopened the places of worship, Maharashtra had not given permission citing COVID restrictions. Announcing the decision, the Chief Minister’s office tweeted: “All religious places in Maharashtra will reopen for devotees from Monday, November 16, after several months of closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic.“
Talking about the reopening of religious places, Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Jayant Patil said: “The decision has come at the right time when the number of corona patients is low. The rules will be the same for all the religious places. The use of masks, sanitizers would be mandatory. Social distancing is very important.”
Aadesh Bandekar, Chairman, Shree Siddhivinayak Temple Trust said: “CM Thackeray has made it clear that rules and protocols will have to be followed strictly. Devotees will have to download the temple’s app and fill in the required information.“
‘No reason for BJP to take credit’
When a reporter asked a question saying that BJP was proclaiming the reopening of temples as the victory of Hindutva, Sanjay Raut said: “The lockdown was imposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the decision to shut the temples was also taken by him, so there is no reason for BJP to take credit for the victory of Hindutva in this matter. I believe that the Prime Minister will have to tell the meaning of victory and defeat to such people.“
COVID-19 status in Maharashtra
The total number of infections is reaching 17 lakh fifty thousand while around 45000 people have succumbed to the virus in the state. While the recovery rate stands at around 92%, the fatality rate is close to 2.6%. Around 85000 active cases are present at the moment in Maharashtra.
Source: Times Now
