Restaurants, malls and places of worship to open on June 9 in Kerala

On Thursday, the Centre had released a set of instructions for opening various religious and commercial establishments from June 8.
Restaurants, malls and places of worship to open on June 9 in Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: From Tuesday (June 9), devotees and faithful will be able to enter their respective places of worship, provided they bring a pen and are wearing a mask! The requirements are among the list of guidelines which the state government came out with on Friday, as it gave its nod for the opening of places of worship, shopping malls, hotels and restaurants in the state to the public from the day. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the decision was taken in accordance with the Centre’s guidelines.

On Thursday, the Centre had released a set of instructions for opening various religious and commercial establishments from June 8. They included reduced seating capacity, adoption of contactless processes, among other things.As per the state’s guidelines, worship centres will record the name and phone number of every visitor, which would prove useful to the government if there is a need for contact tracing. The devotees and faithful should bring their own pen though. Those aged above 65 and below 10 years will not be allowed entry. The devotees and faithful also have to wear masks and wash hands before entering their respective places of worship. Hand sanitisers should be used when needed. 

Moreover, entry into the establishments should be allowed on a first-come, first-served basis and people should stay six-feet apart. They should also avoid touching idols and holy books. The number of visitors at a time would be 15 persons per 100 sq m, to a maximum of 100 people. Those with symptoms of any illness should not visit the worship centres.

There should be separate entry and exit paths. Also, instead of tanks, water from taps should be used by the faithful to wash themselves before entering the shrine. If necessary, believers should bring their own mats or sheets. Distribution of free food and the first-feeding rituals of babies should be avoided. Baptisms can be done without contact. Distribution of prasadam and holy water should be avoided. If unavoidable, air conditioners can be used in 24-30 degree Celsius.

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