Taj Mahal, Agra Fort to re-open from September 21 even as COVID-19 cases continue to grow

The tourism sector is set to get a major boost with several important places set to open in the coming month. Taj Mahal and Agra Fort will re-open to the public from September 21 as part of unlock 4, Basant Kumar, Superintending Archaeologist, ASI said on Monday. According to Kumar, only 5,000 and 2,500 visitors will be allowed in both the monuments respectively in a day. 

Agra District Magistrate PN Singh also made the announcement in a tweet. Guidelines for social distancing and mask wearing have been circulated. While only 5,000 people would be permitted to visit the Taj daily, the Agra Fort will allow only 2,500.

The two world heritage monuments were closed since March 17 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Other historical monuments like Etmauddaula`s tomb, Sikandra, and Fatehpur Sikri were reopened from September 1.

As a precautionary measure, the ticket counters will not open and electronic tickets will be provided to the visitors. 

The monuments have been closed to the public since a nationwide lockdown was imposed in March to combat the pandemic. 

Tourism industry leaders have welcomed the decision to reopen monuments as the tourist season is about to start, usually from September 27, which is observed as the Tourism Day. Agra, the city with three world heritage monuments, annually receives more than seven million tourists. 

In Agra, 83 fresh cases were reported with one more death in the past 24 hours. According to the Union Health Ministry, there are 61,625 active cases in Uttar Pradesh with 3,920 deaths so far. 

The district administration officials have been inspecting different parts of the city to ensure that the guidelines relating to mask-wearing and social distancing are sincerely followed. The District Magistrate P. N.Singh and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Bablu Kumar visited several markets and warned shopkeepers not to violate the guidelines. A few shops were also fined. 

Meanwhile, there are a total of 8,83,697 active COVID-19 cases in India, while 33,23,950 people have recovered so far.