“Not more than 10 persons should be allowed in marriage functions in temples. Not more than 50 should be allowed in marriage halls in temples and weddings should be held only in the specific time allotted for the halls,” said the Department in an order. Since the first lockdown was imposed, strict restrictions were imposed on places of worship and as the second wave has started to spread, the government, recently, imposed restrictions by not allowing temple festivals and restricting the time to 8 pm, which was later extended to 10 pm based on demands from Islamic organisations and political parties owing to Ramzan festival.

HR&CE has also restricted the number of devotees to 20 per 100 square metres to ensure social distancing norms. Temple officials have been asked to ensure all other protocols are followed.