In Wake Of Coronavirus, Priests In Varanasi Temple Put Masks On Deities, Including A Shivalinga
The number of positive cases of coronavirus in India stands at 46 as a couple from Pune tested positive making it the first instance of the disease in Maharashtra. A priest in Varanasi recently made the deities in his temple wear masks to protect them from coronav virus. The COVID-19 virus which originated from Wuhan in Chinas Hubei province has spread to 110 countries.
From panic buying masks and sanitizers, to composing songs asking ¡°coronavirus to leave the country,¡± and resorting to the Wuhan-leg-shake to avoid contact, the coronavirus scare in India is palpable.
ANI
More so, as the number of positive cases climbs day after day - currently the number stands at 46, as a couple from Pune tested positive, making it the first instance of the disease in Maharashtra.
Amid the scare, a priest in Varanasi recently made the deities in his temple wear masks to protect them from coronavirus, and hopes for a divine intervention to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Temple priest, Anand Pandey, told news agency ANI that the occurrence was not that unusual. He said that since coronavirus had spread across the country, the temple had put a mask on Lord Vishwanath's face to raise awareness about the disease.
"Just like we put clothes on the idols when it's cold and put the AC on when it's hot, we have put masks on the deities," Pandey said.
Varanasi:The 'Shivling' at Prahladeshwar temple have been covered with a mask&posters have been put up in temple appealing devotees to not touch the idols.A devotee says,"we are urging ppl not to touch the idols.If idols are touched,#coronavirus will spread & infect more people." pic.twitter.com/c0ZTGjVtFM
¡ª ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 10, 2020
He also urged people not to touch the idol, the priest said that touching the idol would further spread the virus. He and other devotees were seen offering prayers wearing masks as well.
The global death toll due to coronavirus outbreak (Covid-19) has crossed the 4000-mark, according to World Health Organisation (WHO), while the number of confirmed cases has increased to over 1.13 lakh.
ANI
The COVID-19 virus, which originated from Wuhan in China¡¯s Hubei province, has spread to as many as 110 countries. Italy has reported 463 deaths and over 9,000 confirmed cases of infection as the death toll in the country witnessed a jump of 97. Italy is the worst-hit country after China, which has reported over 80,000 confirmed cases and over 3,150 deaths.
