Junior priest at Ram temple tests positive for COVID-19

Police personnel at makeshift shrine also infected ahead of ground-breaking ritual.

A devotee pays respects to a mural depicting paintings of deities in Ayodhya on July 30, 2020

An assistant of the head priest of the makeshift Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya has tested positive for

coronavirus (

COVID-19 ). Around a dozen police personnel posted at the Ram Janmabhoomi complex have also tested positive, sources said, though the exact number of the infected personnel has not been confirmed.

Acharya Satyendra Das, the court-appointed head priest of the makeshift temple, confirmed that his assistant Pradeep Das had tested positive. Mr. Satyendra Das and other priests at the temple, however, tested negative.

Lord Ram’s images to be displayed in Times Square to celebrate August 5 Ayodhya Temple groundbreaking ceremony

According to the State government, Ayodhya had recorded 417 active cases and 13 deaths due to

COVID-19 till July 30, with 59 new cases over last 24 hours.

Last week, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had visited Ayodhya to review preparations for the bhoomi-pujan or ground-breaking ceremony of the Ram Temple. While performing a ritual, Mr. Satyendra Das and Mr. Pradeep Das were seen standing in close proximity to the Chief Minister.

Mr. Satyendra Das said a separate set of priests, including some from Varanasi, would conduct the bhoomi-pujan on August 5. However, he added that testing of priests at the Ram Janmabhoomi complex would continue till August 5. Those found positive would be treated, and arrangements made for their stay (in isolation).

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to participate in the bhoomipujan for the Ram temple to be constructed at the site of the Babri Masjid, which was demolished by kar sevaks on December 6, 1992. The temple is being constructed by a Trust appointed by the government following the Supreme Court verdict earlier this year.