Coronavirus Scare: Siddhivinayak Temple closed for devotees till further notice

With a sudden spike in the number of people infected with the novel coronavirus in the state, the government is taking all the necessary steps to avoid further spreading of the virus. Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, the lives of commoners have been adversely affected and in one such instance, the Siddhivinayak temple has now been closed for devotees until further notice.

As per an ANI report, the entry of devotees into Siddhivinayak Temple in Mumbai will be closed from today evening till further notice. While the authorities were earlier taking measures to prevent the disease, the administration looks to have taken a final call to avoid public gathering.

The Siddhivinayak temple located in Prabhadevi has instructed all its employees to wear masks and hand sanitizers have been provided to everyone inside the Siddhivinayak temple.

Siddhivinayak Temple Trust Chairman, Adesh Bandekar said, 

"We are providing sanitizers to all the devotees in the temple and where they stand in a queue holding the railings, are being cleaned in every 30 minutes."

He further added that they have provided masks to every security guard who comes in contact with people the most and also have taken all the important measures to prevent coronavirus.

Earlier today, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had asked all the district collectors to ensure there is no crowding at religious sites in view of the coronavirus threat. However, he also said that the worship can continue.

Here's the notice by the Siddhivinayak Board Trust:

The Chief Minister had today called for a meeting via video conference where he announced that in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, no political events, meetings etc will take place. He said foreign tours have been banned and gram panchayat and other local body meetings have been postponed.

From Tuesday, measures will be in place to stop the flow of people into Mantralaya, the chief minister informed. The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in India has now risen to 114, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Monday.