The Maharashtra Chief Minister, Uddhav Thackeray had indicated that religious places will be reopened after Diwali festival. A standard operating procedure is also being formulated for their safe management .
When all the sections of the economy began reopening in June, the citizens , especially those whose livelihood depends on pilgrimage towns such as Shirdi and Pandharpur have been demanding reopening of religious places also.
However, senior officials in the State Government are waiting for signs of mass immunity and a further decline in the COVID numbers before taking a call on reopening of the places of worship.
In March, religious places were closed due to the lockdown imposed due to COVID pandemic. However, since early October BJP along with several smaller parties demanded the opening of temples and worship places of other religions in the state without further Covid testing.
Warkari sect, which worships Vithoba, an incarnation of Vishnu wants their main temple in the Pandharpur city to be opened immediately. The sect has a vast following in Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Thackeray said the administration wants the Diwali season to be over before finally opening the doors.
He added that there has been a delay in opening religious places, as the state is being opened in a phased manner to avoid the second wave .