Gangotri shrine shut till August 15 due to COVID-19

Chairman of Gangotri Dham Temple Committee, Suresh Semwal said that the priest community has decided to shut all temples in Gangotri due to sudden spike of coronavirus cases in the area after the state government allowed the pilgrims from the other states.

Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand): Priests from Gangotri shrine in Uttarkashi district on Tuesday announced that they will keep the shrine closed till August 15. The announcement made by the temple priests came three days after the state government allowed the pilgrims from other states to visit the temple with some restrictions.

According to Suresh Semwal, the chairman of Gangotri Dham Temple Committee, the decision has been taken after the hilly region witnessed a spike in COVID-19 cases.

While speaking to ETV Bharat, Semwal said, "At a time when Amarnath yatra has been suspended by the government, I can't get the Uttarakhand government's logic behind the opening of Gangotri temples."

He further added that the entrance of the shrine will be blocked by setting up barriers to prohibit entry.

"We have decided this to prevent the community-spread of Covid-19 in this area", added Semwal.

Uttrakhand reported 143 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, taking the total cases in the state to 6,104. According to the Uttrakhand health department, the state has 2,437 active cases, with 3,566 recoveries and 38 migrations. As many as 63 people have lost their lives to COVID-19 in the state so far.

The state health department also informed that the doubling rate of the viral infection, reported in the past seven days, is 22.45 days. The percentage of recovery for COVID-19 patients in the state is 58.42 per cent.