With over 400 Sevayats and employees testing positive for Covid-19, situation in Puri remains grave. Opening the Srimandir for public may aggravate the situation.

Daily rituals at Puri Srimandir continues unabated. But, opening the Temple to lakhs of devotees, involves a lot of risk, which the State Government wants to avoid.

As per the Government, 351 Servitors and 53 employees have been infected with Coronavirus as on today. The number will go up if their family members are added. 8-10 fatalities among Sevayats have been reported too.

The Odisha Government certainly does not want a repeat of Tirupati in Puri.