More than 700 staff members at Tirupati temple tested positive for Coronavirus since June, Tirupati

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More than 700 staff members at Tirupati temple tested positive for Coronavirus since June

The Lord Venkateswara temple or Tirupati temple, which is one of the most revered religious sites in the country, has recorded more than 700 Coronavirus positive cases among its staff since its reopening in June. In the past two months, Andhra Pradesh’s Tirumala, a part of Tirupati, has also lost three of its staff to the deadly virus.

Apparently, the temple gates were reopened to the public on June 11 after remaining in lockdown for a long period. According to the temple administration, 402 staff members have recovered but 338 are still undergoing treatment.In the beginning of August, a 48-year-old priest at Tirumala Balaji temple died of Covid-19; before him, the former chief priest of the temple had succumbed to the virus.

PTI quoted TTD Executive Officer Anil Kumar Singhal, “Of the 743 infected, about 402 personnel have recovered so far from infection while 338 people were undergoing treatment at different COVID care facilities”.

He further said that the ancient temple was reopened only on requests from devotees and that the temple authorities were allowing entry by following strict COVID-19 measures.

The trust of the temple is one the biggest and the wealthiest in the country and world. As per records, there are 22500 staff working here which includes 300 priests. The trust looks after 10 temples, and Venkateswara temple with 36 priests is the one of the main temples.

Despite so many cases, the temple is still open to devotees. Also, Andhra Pradesh is among the worst-hit states in the country and has recorded 254K Coronavirus positive cases and 2296 deaths.

About Venkateswara Temple

Venkateswara Temple, located in the hill town of Tirumala at Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh is dedicated to Lord Venkateswara, a form of Lord Vishnu. It is said that the god himself appeared here to save mankind from Kali Yuga. So, the place is also known as Kaliyuga Vaikuntham. The other popular names by which the site is known are Tirumala Temple, Tirupati Temple, Tirupati Balaji Temple.

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