COVID-19: In Puri’s Jagannath Temple, Devotees Pray With Masks On

Crowded markets are no longer crowded, bustling streets are no longer full.

In view of COVID-19, on Monday, 16 March, the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) announced that all staff members and devotees need to wear face masks once inside the temple in Odisha’s Puri. I decided to visit the temple myself to see how devotees were going to pray with these new rules in place.

I caught the first train from Dhenkanal to Puri via Bhubaneshwar. I realised that the trains are not as crowded as they usually are. I got down at Bhubneshwar station and was happy to see that the railway staff was sanitising commuters’ hands.