COVID-19: Shrine Board asks NRIs, foreign visitors not to visit Vaishno Devi

Jammu: In view of the outbreak of Novel Coronavirus, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board on Sunday asked the NRIs and foreign visitors not to visit the Vaishno Devi shrine for 28 days, after landing in India.
”The Shrine Board has scaled up efforts to arrest the impact of Coronavirus in the Shrine Area,” Chief Executive Officer of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Ramesh Kumar said here.
The domestic visitors, having symptoms like cough, heavy fever and breathing problems, were also advised to either reschedule or postpone their visit to the Holy Shrine, added the CEO.
He said advisories are also being issued on the Multipurpose Audio System throughout the track from Katra to Bhawan, for creating awareness about the deadly virus.
Additionally, mandatory and complete thermal scanning of all pilgrims at Tarakote, Banganga and Helipad has been ensured. The cleaning of all establishments of the Board with disinfectants, at least four times a day, is being done, he added.
The congregation points like Queue Complexes, Waiting Halls, Accommodations and Atka Area, are regularly being sanitised with disinfectants.
Mr Kumar further said that dedicated Yatri Help Desks have been set up at Railway Station Katra, Helipad, Enquiry and Reservation at Niharika Complex, wherein Self-Declaration Forms have been mandated for the pilgrims visiting from the affected countries.
”A large number of advisory hoardings have been installed at all prominent places for general awareness of the pilgrims visiting the Shrine,” he said and added that as a preparatory and preventive step, all the doctors and paramedics in the Shrine Board have been properly trained and sensitised to adopt necessary precautionary measures for the pilgrims showing Coronavirus-like symptoms.
To safeguard the staff and pilgrims, sufficient number of personal protection equipment like masks, gloves and sanitisers have been arranged and issued to different units of the Board, said the CEO.