As part of measures to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus disease, or COVID-19, in Kerala, the Sabarimala hill shrine in Pathanamthitta and the Guruvayur Sri Krishna temple will be closed to devotees until further notice. 

On Friday, the Kerala government directed the Pathanamthitta Collector and the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages the hill shrine, to not allow pilgrims for the annual 10-day festival in Sabarimala starting on March 29. Devotees will also not be allowed to attend the ‘Aarat’ ceremony at the Pampa river on April 8 in Sabarimala. 

In Thrissur, Guruvayur Devaswom Authorities in a press release confirmed: "The temple will be closed for all devotees from 21.3.2020 or Saturday as part of following directions or guidelines prepared by the central and state government to prevent the spread of the virus.”

However, all the poojas and other rituals inside the temple will continue as usual. 

No weddings, rice feeding ceremony or chor oonu, and other rituals by devotees will be held in the temple until further notice, the Devaswom Board authorities confirmed.

These rituals includes Krishnaatam, Udayasthamana Pooja, Vaahana Pooja (vehicle pooja) and Chuttu Vilakku (lighting lamps around the temple). For devotees who have already booked these poojas, the dates will be postponed and informed later. 

On Thursday, the Lord Venkateswara hill shrine in Tirupati was also declared closed for devotees until March 31, amid fresh cases of COVID-19 in the country. All the other major temples in Andhra Pradesh as well as malls and cinema halls will also remain shut to prevent the spread of the virus. 

It was only on Tuesday that the Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam or TTD which manages the hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara in Andhra Pradesh issued an advisory asking NRI devotees and foreigners not to visit the temple for the next 28 days. With more number of cases reported in India, the temple has now been shut down. 

Tamil Nadu too has entered shut down mode with all crowded temples, shopping malls, cinema halls, swimming pools, libraries, amusement parks and educational institutions have been declared closed until March 31 to check the spread of the epidemic.