Places of worship to open in Jammu and Kashmir from August 16; guidelines for Vaishno Devi Yatra

Guwahati: Vaishno Devi reopening, Jammu and Kashmir, Places of worship, Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, religious places, Disaster Management Act 2005 as religious premises and places of worship are set to open from August 16.

The administration has cautioned of strict action against people not following the coronavirus guidelines under the Disaster Management Act 2005.

The government has said that due to rather a large number of pilgrims visiting Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra, there shall be a ceiling of a maximum of 5,000 pilgrims per day till September 30, as a preventive measure to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

A maximum of 500 pilgrims from outside of J&K will be permitted within this limit per day in a categorized manner, according to the government order.

The pilgrims who want to visit the shrine will have to install and use Aarogya Setu App mandatorily. J&K government also said that the pilgrims will not be allowed to touch statues, idols, or holy books.

All districts in Kashmir except Bandipora have been placed under the red zone category. In Jammu division, only the Ramban area has been put under the red zone category. Doda and Kishtwar districts have been placed in green zones and the rest of the seven districts in Jammu and Bandipora district have been categorized as orange zones.

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