Looking at reopening places of worship: CM
The places of worship in Maharashtra may reopen soon as chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said that he will release the guidelines after Diwali.
Religious places in Maharashtra have been closed since March after a lockdown was imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19.
This announcement comes amid growing pressure from various fronts and political parties despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Religious places will also be allowed to open. We will prepare guidelines for reopening places of worship after Diwali,” said CM Thackeray.
Besides the Bharatiya Janata
Party leaders, AIMIM Member of Parliament from Aurangabad Imtiaz Jaleel and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi president Prakash Ambedkar have threatened to launch an agitation against the closing of places of worship.
In a webcast, Thackeray said he is getting flak for going slow on reopening of places of religious worship.
“I am ready for brickbats if it ensures good health and safety of citizens. How to avoid crowds and ensure physical distancing in places of worship will be worked out and a standard operating procedure will be drafted after Diwali. We are so involved in offering prayers and may neglect COVID-19 safety protocols. What if a coronavirus positive person infects senior citizens from our families who visit the places of worship,” he said. Thackeray said wearing of masks will be mandatory in places of worship. “I don’t want to enforce a ban. Let us have faith and trust in each other,” he said.
Over the past few weeks, Covid-19 cases in the state have been falling steadily. As of Saturday evening, the state has 1,714,273 total Covid-19 cases out which 99,151 were active cases. The death toll stood at 45,115.