New Guidelines Issued By Home Ministry For Religious Places, Know What Rules Will Have To Be Followed

New Delhi : According to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued by the Union Health Ministry on Thursday to prevent the spread of coronavirus, religious places in prohibited areas will remain closed to the public, but religious places outside prohibited areas can be opened. The ministry said that a large number of people remains present at religious places, so it is important that social distance rules and other precautionary measures are followed in such premises.

The SOP states that in view of the possible spread of infection, singing groups should not be allowed at religious places, but instead recorded hymns can be played. Mass prayer should be avoided during this period and things like prasad distribution and sprinkling of holy water should not be allowed. The SOP states that touching of idols and holy books at religious places should also be avoided and social distance of at least six feet should be kept in the line for entry there.

The ministry today also issued SOPs for hotels and restaurants and said that only employees should be allowed entry and there should be proper crowd management. The ministry said that pregnant women, older people or employees suffering from any health problem should take extra precautions and avoid tasks like direct contact with people. It said that there should be separate entry and exit points for different works and hotel-restaurant owners should encourage digital transactions.

The SOP stated that hotels and hospitality services should ensure proper record of visitor’s travel and medical condition. The ministry said that the goods in hotels should be free of infection before being transported to the room. There should be phone talk between visitors and staff for room service.