India to reopen Taj Mahal with precautionary measures

AGRA (REUTERS): The Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world, will be reopened for the visitors from Monday (June 6) who will have to adhere to the Covid-19 precautionary measures while visiting the monument.

Earlier on March 17, over 3,400 monuments were shut down by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI), days before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the lockdown.

Indian Union Minister for Tourism and Culture, Pralhad Singh Patel, announced the decision on Twitter. He said, “All centrally protected monuments & sites shall be bound by the protocols like sanitization, social distancing & other health protocols.”

Only 5,000 tourists will be allowed in a day, split into two groups. Earlier the figure stood at 80,000 visitors per day who would swarm the monument.

The authorities are opening monuments including Taj and Red Fort in Delhi despite the sharp rise in the number of cases of the novel coronavirus.

The monuments will be reopened for the first time since India went into lockdown in March to contain the coronavirus outbreak. While international flights remain suspended, domestic travel has been opened up.

Other destinations like Tirumala Tirupati Balaji in Andhra Pradesh opened last month with measures like PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) suits for temple staff, social distancing rules, and fewer tickets.