Devotees to the hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala will have to carry COVID-19 negative certificates for darshan when the temple opens for the over two month-long pilgrim season from November 16.
They will be allowed entry only through a virtual queue system.
The decisions in this regard were taken at a high-level online meeting chaired by Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran on Monday to assess various arrangements before the start of the festival, which will be held strictly on the basis of COVID-19 protocols.
"The devotees willhave to carry COVID-19 negative certificates for darshan", a release quoting the minister said.
N. Vasu, president of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages the hill shrine, also participated.
The meeting observed that the pilgrim season this time has thrown up a big challenge in the backdrop of the pandemic.
It decided that the COVID-19 protocol would be strictly followed and very few pilgrims would be allowed for darshan this year.