Online registration, helicopter booking for Vaishno Devi Yatra to open from Aug 26

Pilgrims intending to have darshan of Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine can now register online and also do helicopter bookings from August 26 till September 5. The announcement was made by the Chief Executing Officer of Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, Jammu and Kashmir, Ramesh Kumar Jangid.

The yatra to Mata Vaishno Devi Temple resumed on August 16, after remaining temporarily suspended for five months due to COVID-19. While pre-COVID, the shrine used to receive lakhs of devotees even during peak winter months, only 2000 devotees are allowed to undertake the pilgrimage at present out of which 1,900 are residents of J&K and 100 are from other states.
Below, take a quick look at the guidelines set for Vaishno Devi Yatra:

• Devotees who have done online registration will be allowed.
• Any person more than 60 years of age, children below 10 years, pregnant women and people diagnosed with co-morbidity are not permitted.
• No one will be permitted to attend morning aarti.
• Pilgrim registration is allowed only via online mode.
• Pilgrims reaching from other states of India will have to follow the protocol of 100% compulsory antigen testing.
• Only pilgrims who have tested negative for Coronavirus, not more than 48 hours before their arrival in Katra, will be allowed to travel beyond Katra on yatra.
• People coming for the yatra from red districts of J&K will be compulsorily tested.

The Jammu and Kashmir government decided to reopen all the religious places on August 11 albeit with certain rules that have to be certainly followed by those visiting the shrines.