Nagpur: Places of worship opened for the general public on Thursday, with a little attention to Covid norms.
Administration has opened a religious place with the condition that full vaccination is mandatory for the entry of worshipers and also temple staff.
However, TOI visits to leading temples, mosques and the church showed that vaccination norms were not followed among them.
A Tii clerk then saw that the Devi Aryaram temple was checking the vaccination status of all visitors.
In some temples, the only check is a guard that holds a thermal scanner or sanitiser spray.
Thursday is a formal day to open for many places of worship, which has opened their gate, said locals.
Apart from the ban, visitors in small quantities can easily make visits and give prayers, said the surrounding people like flower vendors.
Toi reaches mominpura when Asar (fourth prayer).
“How can we ask people whether they have been vaccinated.
They come here again and again, practically impossible for us to obey it,” said a member of the Mosque Committee.
People slowly began to reach the mosque after a prayer call.
“There isn’t much enthusiasm, because not many know that mosques have been opened.
The amount is still far less than pre-covid time,” said Sajid Anwar, Secretary of the Jame-e-Mosque Committee.
Like TOI moved to another place, people said they had come to pray even before.
Management members say they are among limited people are permitted so far.
After being closed after Covid’s first wave, religious places opened in November last year, only to be closed until now after a short period.
At the Tekdi Ganesh Temple, worshipers lined up with newly purchased cars to find blessings for vehicles.
Some have their registration numbers but have waited for the temple open, while there is also a car just out of the showroom.
Even here, there is no insistence on vaccination.
This Scribe Toi waits at the entrance and also goes inside until Sanctum without the status of vaccination.
A temple staff said they asked for a digital copy of the vaccination certificate at the entrance, but Ti could not do that.
Patewar Nandkishore has come with his one-month-old granddaughter to look for blessings.
“It’s the habit of bringing children to the temple a month after birth.
We only took the opportunity and come here, to find open temples.
We don’t know that the government allows the opening of the temple,” said the child’s mother.
The SFS church held the first mass after more than a year.
The bench immediately became a resident.
Toi is also waiting to watch people in.
No one checks the vaccination certificate.
“There is someone to check the previous certificate, who has joined worship.
Now, we will close the door without allowing others during Mass,” said an official from the parish office.
FR Anthony D’Souza said, “We have announced that norms such as sanititiation, distance and double vaccination must be followed by all worshipers.
All of these rules will be followed at any time.” A little ahead, the Lady of Lourdes Temple in Seminary Hills is also open .
Visitors said it was open even before, but the church was not allowed.
Some other close temples were also reported open since some time.