Bengal: Belur Math Closed For Indefinite Period As Covid Cases Rise In State

West Bengal government has said all educational institutes, spas, salons and beauty parlours, and tourist centres will remain closed from Monday, offices to operate with 50% attendance.

File image of a notice pasted on the Belur Math gates announcing that the premises will remain closed until January 4 | Photo: Getty

Kolkata: With Covid-19 cases increasing in the state, the West Bengal government has imposed restrictions across the state to contain spread of the virus. It said Sunday all schools and other educational institutes, salons, beauty parlours, spas, zoos, and entertainment parks would remain closed from Monday, January 3.

Accordingly, some religious places in the state have also shut premises for devotees and visitors for an indefinite period.

Belur Math, the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission, has said it will remain closed for visitors until further notification.

According to an earlier announcement, the math was to remain closed from January 1 to January 4. This time, entry to Belur Math has been indefinitely barred for devotees and visitors in compliance with the guidelines issued by the state government.

Other Temples Could Close Too

Not only Belur Math, but several other temples and shrines in the state could also be closed for devotees and visitors. 

On Sunday, the Tarapith temple authorities said they would hold a meeting soon to take a final decision on this, media reports said.

The Dakshineshwar Kali temple remained closed on the day of annual Kalpataru festival, which is celebrated on the first day of January every year. 

Meanwhile, the Botanical Garden in Kolkata has also decided to close due to the Covid situation, it said in a notification issued on Monday.

Briefing the media on Sunday, West Bengal Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi said: "All schools, colleges, universities, spas, salons, beauty parlours, zoos, and entertainment parks to be closed in the state from tomorrow."

The government also directed all government and private offices to operate at 50 per cent capacity.

All administrative meetings will be conducted in virtual mode, Dwivedi said.

The government also said flights from Delhi and Mumbai to West Bengal would operate only twice a week from January 5.

Meanwhile, the local trains will run at 50 per cent capacity, and the service will be closed after 7 pm every day. Metro Rail will also operate with 50 per cent passengers, and so will restaurants and bars, according to government instructions. Cinema halls have also been told to operate with 50 per cent seat occupancy and they will have to close after 10 pm.

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