The former chief priest of the Tirumala Tirupati Balaji Temple in Andhra Pradesh, died this morning due to Coronavirus. Srinivasa Murthy Deekhshitulu, the 75 year old priest, was tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday and was immediately transferred to the hospital.
Since last week, over 158 members of the temple staff have been tested positive for Coronavirus so far. This includes 21 priests in the temple as well. However, it has been reported that Murthy was not on any duty at the time of catching the infection.
The death of the former chief priest has escalated the situation amongst the board of the temple, who are still reluctant to shut the doors of the temple. “We are monitoring the situation. The temple would remain open for now”, said Chairperson YV Subba Reddy. He also added that half of the staff which had contacted the virus has recovered and there is only one person who has been put under critical care.
The chairperson assured that there is no chance that the priests could have caught the infection from the pilgrims as social distancing is followed at all times. Meanwhile, Ramana Dikshutulu, the reinstated honorary chief priest, has urged for the closure of the temple for public. He believes that this step would check the spread of the virus and would reduce public health risk.
The total number of cases in the state of Andhra Pradesh have amounted to over 44,000. In the state, Tirupati district has been termed as a containment zone due to a surge in the cases of the COVID-19 infection.
