Religious Places To Reopen In Pune District From October 7
Sumit Singh
Pune, 5th October 2021: As per the Maharashtra state government’s guidelines, religious places and places of worship (excluding restricted areas) in rural areas of the Pune district will reopen from 7th October 2021.
District Collector Rajesh Deshmukh, as well as Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) Commissioner Vikram Kumar and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) Commissioner Rajesh Patil, have issued the order for their respective jurisdictions.
According to the order, citizens above 65 years of age, persons with co-morbid symptoms, pregnant women and children below 10 years of age should stay at home. Individuals, organizations, organizations managing religious places and places of worship should take precautionary measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 to the visiting citizens and workers. Arrangements should be made to keep a distance of at least six feet between two persons to avoid crowds at places of worship and places of worship.
Every citizen, visitor should not be allowed to enter without wearing a face mask. Wash hands frequently with soap (for at least 40-60 seconds) or use an alcohol-based sanitizer to disinfect your hands (at least 20 seconds). Cover mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, use tissue paper, handkerchief, corner of hand while sneezing and dispose of tissue paper properly.
After checking the health of the devotees, if they are ill, they should contact the state or district helpline number. Spitting in places of worship or places of worship will be prohibited. Violators of the rules will be penalized. The Arogya Setu app should be used.
Hand washing should be arranged at the entrance and thermal screening should be done. Only persons without symptoms should be allowed to enter religious places. Plaques or posters showing the preventive measures against the Covid-19 virus should be placed in bold letters. Also, preventive measures should be broadcast daily through audio or video. Visitors should be admitted in stages.
Depending on the size of the place of worship and the air condition, the chairman of the trust or board through a local self-governing body should decide the number of persons who can stay at the place of worship at a time.
Devotees should be informed to keep footwear in their vehicles. Separate arrangements should be made to keep footwear as required. Management should be done by observing social distance to control congestion in parking lots and premises. Care should be taken to ensure that shops, stalls, restaurants in the outdoor premises are not crowded by following social distance rules and regulations.
There should be a distance of six feet with signs to stand in line following social distance for visiting. Arrangements should be made for separate entry and exit for visitors. Management will be responsible for keeping a distance of six feet between the two devotees while standing in line. Citizens should wash their hands and feet with soap and water before entering the place.
Meetings should be arranged in accordance with social distance for the citizens to sit. The instructions from the Public Works Department (PWD) should be followed for air conditioning. The temperature in the air-conditioned premises should be kept at 24-30 degrees and the relative humidity should be 40-70, while care should be taken to have adequate play air.
Touching idols, statues, holy books will be prohibited. Large crowds or gatherings will be prohibited. Considering the potential danger of spreading Covid-19, recorded devotional songs and music should be played. Musicians or singing groups will be banned. Avoid physical contact while greeting each other. The use of a single mat for group prayers should be avoided as much as possible. Devotees should bring their mat or piece of cloth from home and take it with them on their way back.
Any offerings at places of worship e.g. distribution of prasad or sprinkling of holy water etc. will be prohibited. The area around religious places should be effectively disinfected. The toilets and hand/feet washing areas should be disinfected. It will be the responsibility of the concerned trust or organization to clean and disinfect the premises of religious places. The floor of the area should be cleaned frequently.
Proper disposal of face covers, masks, gloves, etc., discarded or discarded by visitors. Workers at places of worship must have adequate materials to protect themselves from Covid-19. They will also be required to undergo the Covid-19 test before and during the week. Care should be taken to ensure that toilets and dining areas are not crowded. The place, distance and number of places of worship will be managed in accordance with the Covid rules. It will be necessary to give a guarantee in this regard to the police department and local self-governing bodies.
If any suspected patient or infected patient of Covid-19 is found in the vicinity of religious places, such person should be isolated in a separate room or from other people in the area. The nearest hospital or local body helpline should be informed. Such patients will be examined by the concerned medical officer and necessary arrangements will be made to handle the case and the person living in contact with such person will be traced and the area where he/she resides will be disinfected. If an infected patient is found, the surrounding area should be disinfected immediately.
In case of violation of this order, the person will be prosecuted as per the provisions of the Indian Penal Code, Disaster Management Act and Code of Criminal Procedure.
Also Read Pune Airport To Be Closed For 14 Days, Check Dates Before Booking Flight Tickets
