Thiruvananthapuram: With the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala all set to commence its two month long annual Mandala-Makaravillaku season from November 16, the Kerala government has issued health advisory to ensure strict compliance by pilgrims to standard protocols while trekking the hill shrine to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
As religious congregations and pilgrimages have turned out to be hotbeds of transmission of the virus across the globe and in various parts of the country, the left government is keeping its fingers crossed as lakhs of pilgrims throng the state during the pilgrimage season.
The temple had been opened for devotees for five days last month during the monthly pujas, after remaining shut for over six months.
Closed spaces with poor airflow, crowded places, close face to face contact among pilgrims have to be avoided and to ensure safe pilgrimage there is need to restrict the number of pilgrims being allowed each day, according to the advisory.
The government has decided to allow 1000 pilgrims every day to offer prayers.
Pilgrims must frequently handwash, maintain physical distance, use face mask and carry hand sanitizers with them .
Those who have been recently exposed to the disease or who have had symptoms like cough, respiratory problems, loss of smell, fatigue should keep away from the arduousjourney. All pilgrims have to carry the COVID-19 negative certificate with tests done 24 hours before reaching base camp Nilakkal.
They can also gettested from ''STEP'' kiosks run by the government or private agencies which have been arranged at major public places and throughout the way to Sabarimala, it was stated.
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