Devotees express disappointments after pilgrimage to Kartarpur Sahib suspended

The devotees have express disappointment on the Ministry of Home Affairs' decision to temporarily suspend the travel and registration for Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan from Monday.

"For several years we had been demanding the opening of Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor so that the Indian Sikhs could get the opportunity to pay respect to this religious site," said Rashpal Singh, one of the devotees who visited the Gurudwara on Sunday.

He also said, "I pray that the coronavirus pandemic ends soon and the devotees are again be able to visit the religious site."

Jaswinder Kaur, another devotee, said, "I am lucky to have had got the visit the religious site but some many won't be able to visit the Gurudwara for some period. I pray that this pandemic ends soon so that I can get another chance for the darshan."

"Each person travelling through the Kartarpur corridor to Pakistan is being thoroughly checked for any symptoms of coronavirus," Adesh Sharma, medical officer, told ANI.

He also said, "We are taking their temperature and keeping a note of their travel history by checking their passports."

Meanwhile, the government has also restricted international passenger traffic through land check-posts to contain the spread of COVID-19.

All passenger movements through immigration land check posts at borders with Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar will be suspended from March 15 till further orders, the ministry had said last week.

The ministry also issued a list of check posts which are exempted from this notification.

"There will be intensified health inspections at all these entry points and any traveller whether Indian or Nepalese or Bhutanese or from any other country showing COVID-19 symptoms or with a recent travel history to one of seven COVID-19 outbreak countries namely Italy, Iran, China, Spain, France, Germany and Republic of Korea shall be subjected to quarantine in the appropriate facility of state or central government," the ministry said in a statement.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that Europe has become the new 'epicentre' of the global coronavirus pandemic that has infected more than 15 lakh people with over 4000 deaths.