The Jagannath Temple in Puri reopened on Wednesday for pilgrims after nine months since it was closed from March due to the coronavirus pandemic. The temple administration said that the decision on reopening the temple was taken keeping in view the religious sentiments of the devotees and COVID-19 protocol will be strictly followed.

The administration said that the local people in Puri will be allowed for darshan for the first few days after reopening. The temple will remain closed on January 1 and 2 as there is a possibility of the rush of devotees to the temple town on New Year's Day.

From January 3 onwards the temple will be open for all, according to a report in news agency PTI. Servitors of the Jagannath Temple will have to produce identity cards for entry into the shrine. The Odisha government on Monday said the process for reopening religious places in the state has started after the decline in single-day COVID-19 positive cases. District collectors in the state have been given the powers to take a decision on reopening the religious places in their respective districts after discussing with the stakeholders and making sure that the standard operating procedures are in place, Chief Secretary A K Tripathy said.