Golden Temple in Amritsar goes on a special drive to keep COVID-19 at bay

As the Coronavirus outbreak grips the country, the Golden Temple in Amritsar continues to remain open for devotees.
According to TOI, medical expert teams of the Amritsar district health department and Sri Guru Ram Das Medical College and Hospital of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), are carrying hand-held infrared thermometers, and have started examining devotees visiting the Golden Temple complex recently.

Although the department of health has given instructions to keep a minimum of three feet distance between two people, visitors were seen disobeying the rule. Likewise, devotees were seen defying the mandates on the causeway from darshani deori to the sanctum sanctorum of the Golden Temple.

Nonetheless, the SGPC sewadars continued distributing hand sanitisers and asking people to keep at least three-feet distance between themselves at the Golden Temple entry plaza and darshani deori.

Roop Singh, SGPC Chief Secretary, told the press that medical vans are in place in case of an emergency. Also, mats from the parikrama have also been removed to avoid any likelihood of infection. SGPC has also equipped its hospital for any suspected Coronavirus case. Mr Singh also revealed that bhog of the Akhand Path for everyone’s well-being in the times of COVID-19 shall be conducted in all the SGPC-run Gurdwaras.

Considering the passengers arriving from overseas on Wednesday night, the gurdwara authorities made enough arrangements for quarantine.