Bhopal, June 15 : Almost all lockdown curbs were lifted in the state capital and all shops and religious places were allowed to open on Monday.
Near normalcy has been restored after 80 days. However, terms and conditions apply.
Except for the containment areas in the city, all religious places were opened.
In temples, devotees could have darshan, but can't offer incense sticks, flowers or water. They can't sit there either.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan after reviewing the situation and arrangements through video conferencing said there was significant improvement.
He also visited the Karunadham temple to offer prayers.
Earlier, all religious places in Madhya Pradesh were to open from 8 June. But due to continuing infection, they were kept closed till Sunday in Bhopal.
Markets in Bhopal will now open all days, barring weekends.
Regulatory measures have been prescribed for religious places.
The attendance at the places of worship was sparse in the morning. The Lakshminarayan temple, which gets around 150-200 devotees on most mornings, had just around 30. Guards at gates ensured that visitors sanitised hands and wore mask.
Temple scene will be unlike in the past.
Social distancing will cut down on crowding. No ringing of bells will be allowed.
Fewer persons will be allowed to offer namaz at any given time in mosques.
Wuzu, the mandatory washing of hands before namaz, will have to be done before arriving at the mosque.
The devotes will not be allowed to offer "chaaders" (holy sheets) at mazaars or other tombs.
Similar restraints have been prescribed for gurdwaras, Buddhist monasteries and churches.
Kids below 10 years, senior citizens and pregnant women have been advised against visiting temples. People with any symptoms of coronavirus are prohibited from coming to any religious places.
Temples, mosques, gurdwaras and Buddhist monasteries have already been opened in other districts.
Hotspots, like Bhopal and Indore, had to wait due to the spurt in Covid-19 cases.
Madhya Pradesh has come down to the 8th rung in the country with improvement in corona-related parameters.
--IANS
naidu/pcj.
Source: IANS
