Karnataka considers reopening temples after July 5
Karnataka Hindu Religious Organisations and Endowments Minister, Kota Srinivasa Poojary on Wednesday, June 30 hinted that he was in discussions with the state COVID-19 task force and other departments to reopen temples in a phased manner after July 5. While speaking to the media in Udupi, the minister said that the government will likely give permission to reopen grade ‘A’ temples across the state in the first phase of reopening temples.
Grade ‘A’ is assigned to the temples that earn a revenue of more than Rs 25 lakh. Among the government's 34,558 notified temples, there are only a select few which fall under the 'A' grade category, which attracts a huge number of devotees.
The minister said that the government is considering the benefits and consequences of reopening the temples. He added that reopening temples after a prolonged lockdown may attract many devotees, which might cause increased transmission of the coronavirus. He also acknowledged that there has been a lot of pressure across sections of people to reopen temples as several claim that they need to carry out their rituals.
“It is important that the temples are reopened in a phased manner to avoid crowding,” he said, adding that the government is mulling over protocols to visit the temple and perform rituals.
Amid a severe second wave of the pandemic, Karnataka announced a two-week lockdown on April 27 which was later extended. On June 19, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa announced that the lockdown will continue in the state until July 5, with relaxed restrictions in over 15 districts in the state. Several ministers, including the CM, are advocating for more relaxations after July 5 stating that the COVID-19 pandemic is waning in the state.
The CM on Tuesday had also said that they are contemplating reopening malls in Bengaluru with some conditions, and a decision in this regard will be taken soon. He said that members of the shopping centres association had met him requesting permission to open malls.