CHENNAI: Amidst demands for resumption of prayers at places of worship, Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary K Shanmugam has convened a meeting of representatives of different religions on Wednesday at the secretariat to discuss the issue.
The Chief Secretary, in his letter to religious leaders, said the Centre has decided to reopen places of worship from June 8. "The meeting is convened to get views on when places of worship can be opened in Tamil Nadu and the procedures to be adopted for the same."
A legislator told The New Indian Express, "We wish to convey that places of worship should be opened. Already, people have started offering prayers on the open terraces of their houses in groups in certain places. So, it is better to allow them to go to places of worship with physical distancing and other restrictions."
The places of worship were closed from March 19 as a measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19. On April 3, the Chief Secretary held detailed discussions with representatives of Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Jains and Sikhs on the closure of places of worship and the measures to be taken to fight the virus unitedly. Across the state, district collectors too held similar meetings with local leaders from various faiths.