Tirupati: Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams is going to re-open Sri Venkateshwara Swamy temple at Tirumala from June 11^th, said TTD Chairman Y.V. Subba Reddy on Friday. The temple timings would be 6.30 am to 7.30 pm, the temple remaining closed for nearly 80 days due to the Covid- 19 pandemic.

Several precautions and curbs will in place both inside and outside the temple to ensure social distancing and hygiene. Only 6K devotees would be allowed entry into the temple per day as against the daily normal rush of over 60K devotees will need to maintain six feet distance between each other and wearing of face mask would be mandatory, he said. Children aged below 10 years and elderly people above 65 years would not be allowed into the shrine. The TTD Chairman Y.V. Subba Reddy and E.O Anil Kumar Singhal appealed to the devotees to strictly adhere to the guidelines to ensure a safe pilgrimage for everyone.

All TTD employees involved in regulating devotees would be wearing PPE suits. Before permitting devotees, TTD would study their travel history and randomly conduct Covid- 19 screening. Those found having symptoms such as fever would be immediately sent for quarantine, said the officials. A total 3K special darshan tickets each priced at Rs. 300 would be available online daily. The remaining 3K quota would be set apart for free darshan and devotees opting for it can register themselves for time slot at designated places, including Alipiri at foot hills at Tirumala, he said.