Yogi Adityanath was seen in Gorakhnath temple with a mask on
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath led the reopening of places of worship today by visiting the Gorakhnath Temple in Gorakhpur this morning as religious places reopened today after over two months of coronavirus lockdown.
The Chief Minister, who is also the chief priest of the famous temple since 2014, was seen walking inside the temple premises with a mask on, photos from news agency ANI show.
With social distancing norms in place, many temples across the state have reopened, however most temples in Mathura and Moradabad remain shut. Ayodhya's temporary Ram Mandir has also reopened for devotees.
Another temple that reopened in Ayodhya is the famous Hanuman Gadhi temple that sees a footfall of lakhs of people each year. The temple was sanitised on Sunday and circles for social distancing also marked on the floor.
Gorakhnath temple saw devotees from early morning. Sanitisers and thermal screening is mandatory before people enter the temple premises.
"As per the government's orders, the temple has opened today. We will follow all precautionary measures for COVID-19," Yogi Dharmendra Nath, priest at Gorakhnath Temple told ANI.
For the past few days, India has seen a surge in coronavirus cases even as from today places of worship, malls and restaurants reopened under "Unlock 1" - the first of the three-phase plan for reopening of prohibited activities in non-containment zones with strict rules. Uttar Pradesh is the sixth worst-hit state in the country with over 10,000 cases.
With inputs from ANI