Religious Places Reopen In Maharashtra, CM Visits Mumba Devi Temple With Family

Places of worship reopen in Maharashtra. After the religious places reopened, the Chief Minister paid a visit to the Mumba Devi temple along with his family.

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Mumbai: Religious places in Maharashtra were reopened on Thursday after being closed for nearly six months due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Devotees were seen in temples, mosques and other religious places in Mumbai since morning.

As the reopening of religious places coincided with the beginning of the Navratri festival, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, along with his wife Rashmi Thackeray and two sons Aaditya and Tejas, visited the Mumba Devi temple in Mumbai around 8:45 am and offered prayer to the Goddess.

In Mumbai, since early morning, devotees were seen visiting various temples and mosques while adhering to the mask and social distancing norms. The Thackeray family also spent nearly half an hour at the Mumba Devi temple and followed mask mandate and social distancing rule. The Chief Minister was accompanied by Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar. After offering prayers, the Chief Minister extended greetings to citizens on the occasion of the Navratri festival.

Covid-19 rules to be followed

"It is the responsibility of all to observe health protocols at the places of worship in view of the Covid-19 pandemic," he said. Thackeray said he prayed to Goddess Mumba Devi to completely eradicate the Covid-19 pandemic. Apart from Mumbai, religious sites also reopened in other places on Thursday.

In Thane, BJP MLC Niranjan Davkhare visited the famous Ghantali Devi temple. Many devotees, dressed in traditional attire, were seen visiting the temple. The Kopineshwar temple in the main market area of Thane city and the Lord Shiva temple in Ambernath town were also reopened for devotees. A musical programme was organized at Mahalaxmi Temple at Dahanu in Palghar district and Vajreshwari Temple in Vasai.

What is Prohibited?

The government had issued standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the officials managing places of worship to prevent the spread of Covid-19 infection, according to which prasad distribution, a sprinkling of holy water, touching religious statues etc. are prohibited.