New Delhi: As temperatures soared past 40 degrees Monday, the gates of Bangla Sahib, Hanuman Mandir and Jama Masjid in Delhi opened after nearly three months, but there was a lull of sorts as very few visitors turned up.

One week into ‘Unlock 1.0’ or lockdown 5, the national capital seems to be coming back to life even as coronavirus cases in India crossed 2.5 lakh Monday, with Delhi registering over 28,000 total cases.

ThePrint Monday visited prominent temple, gurudwara, mosque and church to see how social distancing is being maintained, what the precautionary measures are and whether or not the Standard Operating Procedure provided by the central government is being adhered to. 

Hanuman Mandir

At the Pracheen Hanuman Mandir in Connaught Place, everything seems to be going by order.

As one enters the compound, markings are made on the ground so people don’t stand too close. Visitors also have to go through thermal screenings after which one has to walk through a sanitation tunnel before finally entering the temple. The crowd Monday was sparse, which made it easy for the temple staff to adhere to the safety guidelines. 

“We are making sure that everyone is wearing a mask and have put guards in place to ensure nobody gets in without getting their temperature checked,” said Suresh Sharma, chief priest of the temple. 

“Even during the aarti, there will only be about 15 people. So it will be possible to ensure ample social distancing,” he added. 

While everything seemed to be going smoothly, the real test for the temple will be Tuesday. This is because, on Tuesdays — the day dedicated to Hanuman — the temple sees scores of people coming in. “Tomorrow may prove difficult, but we will try our best,” said one of the caretakers of the temple.  

The temple also offered no prasad in accordance with the government guidelines.

While the temple bells were covered with a cloth so people don’t touch it, it wasn’t the case for statues of deities inside the temple as ThePrint saw many visitors touching the statues. 

Bangla Sahib Gurdwara

The gurdwara in the heart of Delhi has been active well before ‘Unlock 1.0’ came into effect. After feeding 75,000 people on a daily basis, the gurdwara opened its door to the public after more than two months.

Sanitation tunnels, foot-operated taps and continuous thermal screening were in place. There was no accommodation for visitors to keep their shoes and were instead asked to leave them in their vehicles, and the sarovar was also cordoned off.

However, unlike the Hanuman temple, prasad and amrit (holy water) were being given by sevaks at the gurdwara. 

“Langar is also prasad. If we can provide langar, where a lot of people are involved, then prasad and amrit can also be given since that only involves one person,” said Manjinder Singh Sirsa, president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee.

“I think the government took these steps without thinking properly, it makes no sense. If you can have water and food at a restaurant, then you can get prasad here. It is impossible for us to not do this,” he added. 

The gurdwara, however, was sparsely crowded Monday, with just a few devotees showing up. 

“I come here to do seva for two hours every single day of the year. Now that all of us are praying together, we hope that coronavirus will be defeated soon,” said Parvinder Singh, as he offered amrit to the next person in the queue.

“Our aim is to ensure maximum people can pay their respect in the minimum possible time so that everyone gets a chance,” Sirsa said. 

Jama Masjid

The narrow lanes of Old Delhi are bustling with people as shops and markets opened up after nearly three months, but there is a deafening silence inside the historic Jama Masjid as the compound remains closed for most parts of the day.

It just opens up twice a day — in the afternoon at 12.30 and in the evening at 5.30 when the azaan is sounded.

Like the gurdwara and temple, the mosque was also equipped with a sanitation tunnel and everyone has to undergo thermal screening before entering. 

Before Covid, upto 4,000 people could offer namaz at once, but now that number has been brought down to just 500. 

“We have made markings on the floor such that there is a one-metre distance between two namazis,” Arshad Ali, caretaker of the mosque, told ThePrint.

For wazu (ablution), the masjid has cordoned off the water tank and only the taps are functional, but they can be occupied only at alternate intervals to ensure social distancing.

“Since the mosque is opening today after so long, I’m sure many people will want to come to offer their prayers, but it will be ideal for us if as few people as possible come,” Ali added.

While the mosque has four gates in total, only two have been opened — Gate 1 for entries and Gate 2 for exits. No skull-cap or carpets will be provided as was the norm, and visitors have been advised to bring their own. 

“We are very grateful that we could see this day where we can offer namaz to Allah. Moreover, it is our responsibility to ensure we follow social distancing. We are trying our best,” said Shehzaad, a resident of Old Delhi, who came to offer namaz. 

Of the four religious places ThePrint visited, police forces were deployed only at Jama Masjid.

While the prominent temple, mosque and gurdwara in the national capital opened their doors to visitors, churches remain closed.

ThePrint visited Saint Cathedral Heart in Connaught Place, but was informed by the guard on duty that it will open Sunday, the day of Mass. 

Delhi archdiocese Bishop Anil Couto said: “The churches under jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church will not immediately open from Monday.”

Malls and shopping centres

Delhi’s shopping malls have also opened their gates to the public Monday, with hourly disinfection of door knobs and similar such frequently-used surfaces, social distancing, UV sterilisation chambers, contact-less shopping becoming the new normal. 

There are around 100 big and small shopping centres that bring nearly Rs 500 crore revenue for the Delhi government. 

Harsh Vardhan Bansal, the director of Vegas Mall in Dwarka, said, “We have asked our staff to report an hour before the malls are opened for the public. After the mandatory screening, the employees will be given face-shields, gloves and sanitisers.”