The Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple has been temporarily closed till October 15.

The decision was taken after 12 employees - the 'periya nambi' and 'cheriya nambi', eight of their assistants and two temple guards - turned out positive when samples of 120 people involved in the running of the temple were tested on October 7.

Since the two 'nambis', who conduct the daily rituals have been quarantined, Tantri Tharanallur Satheesan Namboodiirippad, who officiates only during special occasions, has been asked to take over their duties.

Ideally, the temple should be reopened only after 14 days. But authorities want to open the temple by October 16 because on the next day (October 17) the idols of Saraswati Devi, Velimala Kumaraswamy and Sucheendram Munnoottimanka will reach from Padmanabhpuram Palace in Kanyakumari, an arrival that coincides with the start of the 10-day Alpasi festival.

It is usually with great festive cheer and celebrations that the people of Kanyakumari and Thiruvananthapuram district greet the idols as they take their annual inter-state journey. This year, with crowds prohibited on either side of the border, it will be a lonely and speedy journey for the three idols.

The inter-state ritual procession usually takes nearly three days to cover over 100 kilometres, and would have over 150 people escorting the idols on foot. Devi will be seated in a palanquin, Munnoottimanka on a caparisoned elephant, and Kumaraswamy on a silver horse.

This year the idols will be transported in a vehicle. They will begin their annual journey on October 17, and though the idols would rest at temples along the way, they would reach Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple on that day itself.

Given the surge in COVID-19 cases in Thiruvananthapuram, it is still not clear whether the temple authorities will go ahead with the festival.

The 10-day Painkuni festival, which was to be held on March 30, was postponed and held months later from September 10, but was a very low key affair.

The temple had closed on March 21, three days before India officially announced a nationwide lockdown on March 24. It reopened on August 26 with severe restrictions on he number of devotees. The devotees were also barred from touching the idols or the granite walls of the temple.