In adjoining Palghar district, the reopening of the Mahalaxmi temple at Dahanu and the Vajreshwari temple in Vasai were marked by musical performances arranged by temple managements.Flower vendors and those selling other items for prayers expressed happiness at the reopening of religious places.Sapna Mali, whose family earned a living by selling flowers outside a Ganesh temple in Thane city, said, “It is good that the temples have reopened, otherwise it would have been difficult for us to survive in these times.”Last month, while announcing the reopening of religious places, Chief Minister Thackeray had urged people not to drop guard and continue COVID-19-appropriate behaviour in view of a possible third wave of the pandemic.The government had issued standard operating procedures (SOPs) for devotees and officials managing places of worship to ensure strict implement of coronavirus-related protocols and curb spread of the infection.These strict measures include non-distribution of ‘prasad’ (offerings), no sprinkling of holy water, no touching of statues, idols or holy books and staggering the number of visitors to maintain social distancing, a government order earlier said.Face mask or covering of the face is mandatory while visiting religious places, it said, adding the minimum distance between two persons should be six feet.The state government advised senior citizens, pregnant women and children below 10 years of age to remain at home.The management of shrines should provide separate entry and exit points for devotees, if possible, to avoid crowding, said the order.People should avoid physical contact while greeting each other, it added.The Mumbai civic body issued an order last week capping the number of visitors to places of worship to 50 per cent of total capacity.
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