MALIBU, CALIFORNIA, March 11, 2020 (Press Release from Nadadur S. Kumar, Chief Administrative Officer):
Namaskaram, I am sure that you are all very familiar with the extraordinary situation that the world is going through as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. California is not an exception to this, neither is the city of Calabasas. In view of this, we are closely following the developments as they unfold. In the meanwhile, we are in contact with public health officials and other religious institutions including temples and are very familiar with the steps being taken in similar religious institutions. We have examined very carefully the practices of various institutions and have designed a plan which incorporates the best practices under the circumstances. Effective last Saturday, March 7, 2020, we are implementing the following practices:
We have made plenty of soaps available both at the entrance to the Balaji temple as well as the Shiva complex. These have been located very close to faucets. We are requesting all the devotees to wash their hands prior to entering the sanctum sanctorum. In fact, all the entrances to the Balaji temple have been locked and visitors can enter the temple only through the main gate. In the Shiva complex, the main entrance itself has been closed and visitors may enter only through the side entrance located next to the faucet.
We are not offering the theertam and shatari. All of the archanas will be performed in the name of the god and the priests will be the only ones who will be allowed to enter the inner sanctum sanctorum.
All the carpets have been removed and all the surfaces including door knobs, handles, dining room areas, and floors throughout the temple are being cleaned with a disinfectant on a regular basis. We also encourage people with flu-like symptoms to excuse themselves from the temple to protect themselves and the community. We have decided to continue to offer the abhishekam to Lord Balaji and Lord Shiva and maha aarti on Saturdays until further notice.
These best practices have been designed to find a balance between our right to practice religion under the First Amendment and the needs of the community during these extraordinary times. We urge the devotees to bear with these practices and accept them as a necessity and minimally required. We encourage the devotees to continue to visit the temple and be assured that we are ensuring the safety of all devotees. We also request you to follow our website (www.malibuhindutemple.org) for more updates. We thank all the devotees for their cooperation.