Indians Return To Worship At Temples And Mosques Even Though COVID-19 Cases Are Still High

Illustration (Pixabay)

JAKARTA - Indian people were observed filling temples and mosques on Monday, June 8 wearing masks.

Devotees to the shrine wearing masks are 6 feet (2 meters) away from each other and are required to pass through thermal scanners at Hindu temples, according to Reuters.

Harsh Vyas of the ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) temple in the western city of Ahmedabad said access to the temple was strictly controlled.

"We only allow a small number of devotees inside the temple at once. We have drawn a circle on which they have to stand to ensure a proper distance of at least 6 feet," said Vyas.

India has partially lifted restrictions despite the growing number of COVID-19 positive patients in the country. The country held a lockdown in March. Then, Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened it so that economic activity can resume.

The Indian government ensures that the opening of shopping centers, places of worship and restaurants must comply with strict health guidelines. The hope is to prevent a further spike in infections in the world's second most populous country.

New Delhi is one of the areas with the country's worst transmission points. The hotel is not allowed to open temporarily there, as it is likely to be used as a temporary hospital when there is a large spike in cases.

As of today, data from the Indian health ministry, India's total corona virus cases reached 256,611. This number is just behind Spain after a day of surging 9,983 infections.

A number of health experts assess, the peak of this virus transmission in India could occur in a few weeks, or several months.

Meanwhile, the total number of deaths due to COVID-19 in this country reached 7,135, still low compared to several other countries where tens of thousands of victims died.