THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Covid restrictions will be further strengthened as part of the Attukal pongala festival scheduled to take place on Saturday, District Collector Navjot Khosa told reporters here on Tuesday. Khosa, who visited the temple premises on Tuesday to take stock of the arrangements made, called upon the public to cooperate with the restrictions.
In the wake of Covid, pongala will be held mostly on temple premises. The collector urged the public to refrain from taking part in pongala festivities at public places on account of the pandemic situation. The Attukal temple trust was asked to ensure the same.
On the temple premises, pongala will be offered only on the main traditional hearth set up there. Only minimum number of people will be allowed to take part in the ritual. Those offering pongala at private residences should make sure that social distancing is followed. Pilgrims should avoid visiting the temple in large numbers.
Those arriving at the temple for the daily rituals must ensure that there is no crowding with a similar directive issued to the temple trust. Covid preventive measures, including taking temperature at the entrance and providing sanitiser, will be continued till the end of the festival. Devotees were advised against bringing children below the age of 10. To ensure strict implementation of Covid protocol, six sectoral magistrates were deployed on special duty on the temple premises.