Seven Staff In Vijayawada Durga Temple Test COVID-19 Positive, 450 Test Results Awaited

VIJAYAWADA: Seven staff working at the Vijayawada Kanaka Durga Temple have tested positive for COVID-19. For the second time, 393 temple staff underwent coronavirus tests last week. Seven of them turned out to be positive.

After seven people tested positive for the virus, 450 staff also underwent COVID-19 tests and the results of the tests are yet to come.

The staff underwent medical examinations twice. Earlier, a priest along with one more employee died while undergoing treatment for COVID-19. However, they had other respiratory problems along with the COVID-19 and the others recovered from the virus.

Authorities of the Kanaka Durga temple are on high alert after seven of the temple staff tested positive. Tension prevailed at the temple as employees were worried about their health. The authorities are taking utmost care and sanitising the temple and its premises every two hours.

Authorities said that the number of staff who were infected with the virus in the temple is very less when compared to temples like Srisailam and Annavaram. Those temples were closed for a few days as more than 25 staff members were infected with COVID-19 at those temples. But, Kanaka Durga temple did not close for a single day after allowing the devotees for darshan, said officials.

We are able to contain the spread of virus in the temple premises by implementing anti-COVID-19 measures effectively, said temple EE Bhaskar.

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh reported 6,780 fresh cases of COVID-19 on Monday, taking the total number of cases in the state to 2,93,714. The death toll reached 2,732 on August 17. A total of 2,06,205 people were cured of the virus and discharged from hospitals, currently there are 84,777 active COVID-19 cases in the state.