Ahead of Bhoomi Poojan, Ram temple priest test +ve for COVID-19

Ayodhya:As the temple city gears up for the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the Ram Temple on August 5 in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the shadow of coronavirus lingered over the event after a priest along with 16 security personnel tested positive for Covid-19.

According to sources here on Thursday, priest Pradeep Das has tested positive for coronavirus. He is the 'shishya'(disciple) of Acharya Satendra Das and is one of the four priests who performs puja regularly at the Ram Lalla makeshift temple.

The priest  has now been placed under home quarantine and contact tracing is being done. Some media personnel who interviewed Das earlier on Wednesday have also been a worried lot.

As per the latest figures of the UP Health Department, 66 people tested positive for Covid-19 in Ayodhya on Wednesday. Till date, 605 people have been discharged from hospitals while there were 375 active cases. Thirteen people have died in the district so far.(UNI)