Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government has decided to cancel the annual festival at Sabarimala temple this year, fearing the risk involved to the prevailing Covid-19 situation. The decision was taken during a meeting Devaswom minister Kadakampalli Surendran had with tantri priest K. Mahesh, Mohanararu and the TDB members on Thursday.

It has also decided to disallow devotees during the monthly pooja. The temple will be opening for the monthly pooja on June 14 and Kodiyettu for the festival is scheduled on June 19. However the poojas will be performed as per the custom, it would be better to postpone or cancel the festival this year as there would be huge rush of devotees from other states, said Mohanararu.

If any positive case gets reported during the festival, it would not be possible to cancel the poojas he said. Apart from this, everyone, including the Mel Shanthi (head Priest) will have to undergo quarantine, which should not happen. The situation can also go out of control since there will be a huge inflow of devotees, he said.