Visitors to the Iskcon temple at Mayapur are being allowed a shorter than usual darshan of the deity from Thursday.

Several spots in Mayapur will be out of bounds to visitors as precaution against the spread of the coronavirus, the Iskcon authorities have declared.

“The alarming situation has compelled us to restrict visitors’ access. From Thursday, darshan time for visitors has been limited to 10am to 1pm and 5pm to 7.30pm.

Visitors will not be allowed to access other parts of the temple premises,” said Subroto Das, Iskcon Mayapur’s head of communications.

All pilgrims will have to enter the temple through a specially designated queue. All visitors will undergo thermal scanning. They must also sanitise their hands before entering the premises.

“The temple walls will be washed twice after each scheduled visit using soap and water,” an official said.

The temple building has been barricaded to ensure a safe distance between visitors and community devotees who stay in cottages and housing complexes in and around the temple premises.

“This step has been taken to ensure safety for all. At the same time, we have started washing the floor and walls of the temple hall with soap and water twice daily from Thursday,” Iskcon officials said.

All bookings for stay on the temple premises from March 21 onwards have been cancelled. Temple officials said no new bookings would be accepted before April 15.

The Iskcon authorities have stopped supplying cooked food to visitors and are instead offering packed, dry prasadam.