Puri: Owing to the COVID pandemic, the district administration will impose prohibitory orders under section 144 of CrPC for the smooth conduct of Snana Yatra (divine bathing rituals of Lord Jagannath and his siblings) scheduled to be performed on June 24.
Section 144 will come into force from 10 PM on June 23 to 2 AM on June 25 in Puri town.
The servitors, temple officials and district officials who are scheduled to take part in the mega event will undergo RT-PCR test. Those who are found negative will be allowed to participate in the grand rituals of the holy trinity.
The Sri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) had earlier decided to conduct multiple roundof RT-PCR tests on servitors and officials before Ratha Yatra.
The testing will be done in four stages – before Snana Yatra, before Gundicha Yatra, before Bahuda Yatra and finally, 15 days after Niladri Bije. The Ratha Yatra is scheduled for July 11.