Thiruvananthapuram, October 9: The chief priest of Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram and other staffers have contracted coronavirus (COVID-19). Consequently, entry of devotees in Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple has been banned till October 15. However, the daily rituals at the temple will continue with the minimum number of employees required. Coronavirus Live Tracker in India.

The joint chief priest was the first to test positive. Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple, which had been shut since March 21 due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown, was opened for devotees on August 27. Now the temple will remain shut and Tantri Tharanallur Satheesan Namboodiripad will perform pujas. The authorities are hopeful to re-open the temple for the 10-day Alpashi festival which commences on October 15. Kukke Subrahmanya Temple Reopens in Karnataka Amid COVID-19 Scare.

The authorities want to open the temple for devotees on October 16, a day before the idols of Goddess Saraswati from Padmanabhapuram Thevarakkett, Kumaraswamy from Velimalai Murugan temple and Munnuttinanga from Sthanumalayan temple in Suchindram reach the Navaratri mandapam in front of the temple for Navaratri celebrations.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 09, 2020 12:01 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).