<p>The Taj Mahal reopened to visitors Wednesday, as Indian authorities loosened restrictions following an easing in the country's devastating recent coronavirus surge.</p>.<p>Infections and deaths soared to record levels in April and May, overwhelming health services in some places and prompting lockdowns and other curbs.</p>.<p>Cases have declined in recent weeks, with several major cities including New Delhi and Mumbai easing many restrictions.</p>.<p>In Agra, where the Taj Mahal is located, tourist guides and shopkeepers were upbeat as India's top tourist attraction sprung back to life Wednesday.</p>.<p>The 17th-century monument of love built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan was shut in March last year, reopened in September and closed again in April.</p>.<p>Crowd was thin on the first day of the reopening, with authorities restricting visitor numbers to 650 per day.</p>.<p><strong><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/covid-19-poll-setbacks-modi-20s-midlife-crisis-997986.html" target="_blank">Read | Covid-19, poll setbacks: Modi 2.0's midlife crisis</a></strong></p>.<p>Covid-19 precautions meant visitors were not allowed to touch the shining marble mausoleum, but those making the pilgrimage to one of the New Seven Wonders of the World were still delighted.</p>.<p>"I am very glad I got to see it, it is amazing," gushed Brazilian visitor Melissa Dalla Rosa, 40.</p>.<p>"I cried when I first saw, oh my God... (it was) a very special experience," she told AFP.</p>.<p>Lucky Feizan, 20, a shopkeeper, said the lockdown had squeezed hard those dependent on the Taj Mahal for their livelihood.</p>.<p>"This (was) the second wave of Covid. (With a) third I am finished," he told AFP.</p>.<p>India on Tuesday reported 62,224 new Covid-19 infections over the past 24 hours, compared with around 400,000 per day in April and May.</p>.<p><strong><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/delta-plus-a-variant-of-interest-not-concern-says-niti-aayogs-v-k-paul-997811.html" target="_blank">Read | Delta plus a variant of interest, not concern, says Niti Aayog's V K Paul</a></strong></p>.<p>The total caseload now stands at almost 30 million with 380,000 deaths, although many experts say the true toll could be over a million.</p>.<p>Photos widely shared on social media last weekend showed busy shopping malls and markets in the capital New Delhi, raising fears that cases may rise again.</p>.<p>Kerala, one of the worst-hit states, said Tuesday it will allow public transport to resume while Madhya Pradesh in central India permitted shopping malls and gyms to reopen.</p>.<p>Cases of a usually very rare but deadly infection known as mucormycosis, or "black fungus", in coronavirus patients have also declined in many areas.</p>.<p>The western state of Maharashtra still has more than 7,000 active cases, however, according to reports.</p>.<p>The rise in these fungal infections, contracted by several thousand people, has been blamed on the excessive use of steroids to treat Covid patients.</p>
<p>The Taj Mahal reopened to visitors Wednesday, as Indian authorities loosened restrictions following an easing in the country's devastating recent coronavirus surge.</p>.<p>Infections and deaths soared to record levels in April and May, overwhelming health services in some places and prompting lockdowns and other curbs.</p>.<p>Cases have declined in recent weeks, with several major cities including New Delhi and Mumbai easing many restrictions.</p>.<p>In Agra, where the Taj Mahal is located, tourist guides and shopkeepers were upbeat as India's top tourist attraction sprung back to life Wednesday.</p>.<p>The 17th-century monument of love built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan was shut in March last year, reopened in September and closed again in April.</p>.<p>Crowd was thin on the first day of the reopening, with authorities restricting visitor numbers to 650 per day.</p>.<p><strong><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/covid-19-poll-setbacks-modi-20s-midlife-crisis-997986.html" target="_blank">Read | Covid-19, poll setbacks: Modi 2.0's midlife crisis</a></strong></p>.<p>Covid-19 precautions meant visitors were not allowed to touch the shining marble mausoleum, but those making the pilgrimage to one of the New Seven Wonders of the World were still delighted.</p>.<p>"I am very glad I got to see it, it is amazing," gushed Brazilian visitor Melissa Dalla Rosa, 40.</p>.<p>"I cried when I first saw, oh my God... (it was) a very special experience," she told AFP.</p>.<p>Lucky Feizan, 20, a shopkeeper, said the lockdown had squeezed hard those dependent on the Taj Mahal for their livelihood.</p>.<p>"This (was) the second wave of Covid. (With a) third I am finished," he told AFP.</p>.<p>India on Tuesday reported 62,224 new Covid-19 infections over the past 24 hours, compared with around 400,000 per day in April and May.</p>.<p><strong><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/delta-plus-a-variant-of-interest-not-concern-says-niti-aayogs-v-k-paul-997811.html" target="_blank">Read | Delta plus a variant of interest, not concern, says Niti Aayog's V K Paul</a></strong></p>.<p>The total caseload now stands at almost 30 million with 380,000 deaths, although many experts say the true toll could be over a million.</p>.<p>Photos widely shared on social media last weekend showed busy shopping malls and markets in the capital New Delhi, raising fears that cases may rise again.</p>.<p>Kerala, one of the worst-hit states, said Tuesday it will allow public transport to resume while Madhya Pradesh in central India permitted shopping malls and gyms to reopen.</p>.<p>Cases of a usually very rare but deadly infection known as mucormycosis, or "black fungus", in coronavirus patients have also declined in many areas.</p>.<p>The western state of Maharashtra still has more than 7,000 active cases, however, according to reports.</p>.<p>The rise in these fungal infections, contracted by several thousand people, has been blamed on the excessive use of steroids to treat Covid patients.</p>