SGCP members hand out masks, sanitisers to devotees at Golden Temple

The devotees visiting Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) were thermally scanned and provided hand sanitisers by the members of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of Coronavirus, here on Wednesday.

Amritsar (Punjab) [India], Mar 18 : The devotees visiting Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) were thermally scanned and provided hand stisers by the members of the Shirom Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of Coronavirus, here on Wednesday.

Apart from this, an ambulance facility was set up outside the Gurudwara premises. Banners were also in place outside the Golden Temple to raise awareness about the threat of coronavirus. Mats and carpets were removed from the premises as well.

"The devotees are supposed to maintain a distance of 2-3 feet from each other while entering and exiting the premises so that they do not get any infection," SGPC Chief Secretary Dr. Roop Singh told .

"It is a good step taken by the SGPC--the arrangements of masks, stisers," one of the pilgrims told .

Earlier on Tuesday, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board appealed to the pilgrims that they should postpone their visit to the temple till normalisation of the situation. The shrine board has stepped up its preparedness to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and is conducting thermal screening at several points.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in India has reached 147, including 122 Indians and 25 foreign nationals, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday.

Globally, the virus has infected more than 184,000 people and killed more than 7500, as per the data available on the World Health Orgsation website.

( With inputs from ANI )