Puri, Jan 28 : Sri Jagannath temple will open for devotees from February 1 next amid Covid guidelines, Puri Collector Samarth Verma said here Today The decision to open the temple for the devotees was taken at the meeting of the members of Chhatisha Nijog,the apex body of the servitors and the Jagannath temple managing committee, held on virtual mode Srimandir was closed for devotees since January 10 last following a sharp rise in corona positive cases. Observing steady decline in new corona positive cases in Puri town, mounting pressure of devotees, small businessmen and local residents, it has been unanimously decided to allow devotees into the temple with Covid appropriate norms, Verma told the media persons soon after the meeting. He said devotees have to furnish a negative RT-PCR report or complete vaccination certificate at the temple counter, observe physical distancing, covering the face with masks and sanitisation of hands before entering into the temple. Devotees from outside Puri town will have to enter Srimandir through Simhadwar in a queue and exit through other three gates.The locals would enter the temple by furnishing their Aadhar card through Western gate ,he said. The temple will open for devotees from 5.30 AM till 9 PM. However, the darshan will be closed on every Sunday to sanitize the temple complex and on important festivals to avoid heavy rush in the temple to contain pandemic.. A fresh standard operating procedure(SOP) will come out in this regard, the Collector said. The meeting was presided over by Sri Jagannath temple chief administrator Dr.Krishan Kumar while almost all the Chhatisha nijog and temple body members participated. (UNI)