The Samikhsya Bureau
BHUBANESWAR: The long wait of the followers of various faiths to enter their religious shrines across Odisha would be over soon.
Nearly nine months after their closure due to outbreak of the Covid crisis, temples, churches, mosques and similar institutions would be made open for the public as per the decision of Odisha Government.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has already given his nod to the proposal for reopening of the religious institutions.
The decision was taken in view of the decline in Covid-19 positive cases across Odisha, it was learnt.
While the number of daily Covid-19 cases was 644 on November 14, it came down to 322 on December 14 facilitating the decision to reopen the religious shrines for the public.
However, Odisha’s Endowments Commission has recommended to the state government to reopen the religious places with strict adherence to the Covid-19 protocol.
District Collectors have been delegated the power to take a decision on reopening of the religious places in their districts after ensuring implementation of standard operating procedures in place.
Meanwhile, the Jagannath temple administration in Puri has sought government approval for reopening the temple for the public from December 23.
Odisha has nearly 8000 temples, 3000 churches and 2000 mosques that are awaiting the government nod to reopen for the public.
