These establishments made arrangements for strict compliance in terms of social distancing, disinfection and thermal screening of visitors. However, many states decided to defer opening of places of worship and other establishments looking at the concerns of crowd management.
Such establishments will also remain closed in all the containment zones across the country. In Delhi, religious places, restaurants and malls opened on Monday with adequate arrangements in place as per the standard operating procedure laid down by the Health Ministry.
After a long interval of around 70 days, the doors of public worship places were opened in the national capital. Devotees were seen standing at earmarked places ensuring 6 feet distance at Hanuman Mandir in Connaught Place, Jama Masjid in old Delhi, Gurdwara Bangla Sahib and Sacred Heart Cathedral in Central Delhi. Touching of idols, offering prasads and holy water was however prohibited.
Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid said that people have been advised to perform Wuzu at home before coming to the iconic mosque to offer namaz.
Visit to the Shopping Malls and restaurants in the capital was also an altogether new experience. Many City malls have placed Ultraviolet sterilization chambers to disinfect belongings of every visitor. Hourly disinfection of common areas, contact surfaces and stringent protocols for physical distancing was also seen.
Thermal screening of every entrant in restaurants which are operating at their 50 per cent capacity and contactless or disposable menu cards introduced by these establishments was a common sight. The management at these places confirmed that air conditioning and circulation has also been modulated in terms with the CPWD guidelines.