140 Staff Including 14 Priests At Tirumala Test Positive For COVID-19 But Temple Is Still Open
Since last month, a total of 140 staff members at the famed Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam in Andhra Pradesh were found to be infected by coronavirus.
Those tested positive for COVID-19 include 14 priests, 16 workers in laddu-making kitchens and 56 security personnel.The test reports of 25 staff members are awaited.?
Of the 140 affected, 70 were discharged and the rest being provided treatment.
On Thursday, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Executive officer Anil Kumar Singhal called an urgent meeting with temple priests, health and vigilance officials to assess the situation.
Despite 14 priests testing positive, the TTD has said that it will continue to allow entry of devotees less than 12,000 in number into the temple daily.
However, Tirumala temple's honorary chief priest A.V. Ramana Dikshitulu has raised concern over the temple remaining open and even warned of "a disaster".
He tweeted that the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) Executive Officer and Additional Executive Officer refused to stop 'darshan' and alleged that they are following "anti hereditary archaka and anti-Brahmin policy" of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and its chief Chandrababu Naidu. "Disaster if this continues. Please take action," he wrote.
TTD chairman YV Subba Reddy, however, differed with the honorary chief priest and claimed that the situation does not warrant closure of the temple for darshan.
Subba Reddy said that Dikshitulu should have conveyed his opinion to the TTD board instead of making a comment in social media.
He said it was not proper to give political colour to priests testing positive. "Making such comments before the media is not good. After our government came to power, the honorary chief priest was appointed and he is being paid the honorarium," said Subba Reddy, who is the maternal uncle of the Chief Minister.
Tirumala temple had re-opened for pilgrims on June 8 after remaining closed for 80 days due to the Covid-19 induced lockdown.
Initially, the temple was allowing only 6,000 pilgrims per day with strict adherence to the COVID-19 protocol. The number of pilgrims was later doubled.
Religious places including temples have been allowed to reopen and welcome devotees as part of the phased Unlock 1, but there is a growing concern that gatherings at such places could spread the virus that has claimed more than 25,000 lives in India so far.
Though they are to adhere to strict social distancing measures and limit the number of visitors, this is not implemented in many places.
