After churches and mosques, Goa temples defer reopening

Panaji, June 7 A day after Goa's Roman Catholic churches and mosques announced deferred reopening due to a spike in coronavirus cases, managements of popular temples in the state on Sunday postponed the reopening of their premises to devotees.

On Sunday, managements of nine well-known temples held a meeting in Ponda sub-district and resolved to defer their reopening.

Temples and other religious places have been allowed to reopen from June 8 according to central government latest guidelines.

"Due to the rise in coronavirus cases in Goa, taking health and well-being of devotees of Shree Mahalaxmi Saunsthan, Panaji, the management has decided to extend the temple closure till June 30," Mahalaxmi temple management in Panaji said in a statement.

On Saturday, the Archbishop of Goa as well as the Association of All Goa Muslim Jamaats had also postponed the reopening of their respective religious places in view of the corona cases spike.

The state, which was coronavirus-free for more than a month, saw a spike in active cases following an outbreak in the Mangor hill area in South Goa's Vasco town over the last few days.

The state currently has 202 active cases, a bulk from the Mangor hill area since designated a containment zone.