Kakinada: 29 employees of Annavaram temple test Corona positive

Kakinada: Twenty-nine employees working in Sri Veera Venkata Satyanarayana Swamy temple at Annavaram tested positive for Covid -19 on Saturday.

Annavaram Devasthanam executive officer Vendra Trinatha Rao said that 29 employees of the temple were found Covid postive. Ten 10 vrata purohits and two archakas were among those tested postive , he added.

The EO said darshan has been stopped at the temple from August 9 to August 14 for devotees in view of the prevalence of the pandemic in Annavaram.

Consequently, the temple administration conducted the coronavirus tests for all the employees and priests.

The temple administration is trying to find out the reasons as to why the employees and priests tested positive.

After the lockdown ended, the temple administration resumed darshan for the devotees about one-and-a-half month ago.

Thermal screening was conducted on the devotees at the entrance and measures were taken to sanitise the queue lines and other areas in the temple as part of elaborate precautions to prevent spread of virus.

Trinatha Rao said the rituals in the temple would be carried out as usual by the priests individually without the presence of the devotes. He made it clear that no devotee would be allowed till August 14.