Iskon temple in Mathura asks foreign devotees to stay away amidst Coronavirus fears

The famous ISKON temple in Mathura has issued an advisory, asking all foreign devotees not to visit the temple for the next two months.

The advisory is being circulated through other ISKON temples in other countries.

The advisory has been issued in view of the coronavirus outbreak since the maximum number of suspected cases has been found in the neighbouring Agra district.

The ISKON temples across the globe, and particularly in Mathura, attract the largest number of Lord Krishna devotees. Run by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, the temple is taking extra precaution against the virus.

All its staff members have been asked to wear masks and the devotees coming to the temple are being made aware of the precautions needed to guard against Corona virus.

According to sources, the ISKON management has asked some foreign devotees camping in the temple complex to educate other foreign devotees about the virus.

Meanwhile, the district administration is asking devotees to wear masks and wash their hands frequently.

"We cannot stop people from visiting Mathura since this is the peak festive season of Holi and there are already thousands of tourists here. However, we are still asking the various temple managements to create awareness and request the devotees to take preventive measures," said a district official.

With COVID-19 cases beginning to show an upward trend in the country, the Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Thursday updated Parliament over the measures taken by the government to contain the disease. The Minister said that they were fully geared up to battle the virus.

He told the Parliament, "As on March 4, at least 28,529 persons were brought under community surveillance and are being monitored," adding "The Prime Minister is personally monitoring the situation." At least 29 positive cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the country till Thursday.