Covid-19: Taj Mahal to reopen for visitors after 6 months

After a staying shut for a record 188 days owing to the coronavirus pandemic, the monument of love - Taj Mahal - would throw open its door for visitors from Monday.

According to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) officials, certain restrictions had been put in place for the tourists visiting the 16th-century ivory-white marble mausoleum on the bank of the Yamuna river in Agra and the Agra fort.

The number of visitors at the Taj Mahal would be capped at 5,000, the officials said, adding that there would be no physical sale of tickets at the monument and the same could be booked only online.

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Face masks would be mandatory for all the visitors, who would also have to follow social distancing. The visitors would be allowed in only after thermal scanning.

Only five visitors would be allowed inside the room that houses the tombs of Mughal emperor Shahjahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal, at a time, the officials said.

Group photography would not be allowed inside the Taj Mahal complex, they added. The visitors would also be asked not to touch the walls and railings of the building.

Local traders and hoteliers have been demanding that the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort, the two main attractions for foreign tourists in Agra, be opened as their closure had adversely affected their business.

While the other historical buildings were opened for the visitors on September 1, the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort had remained closed for the tourists.

The Taj Mahal attracts around seven million visitors from across the country and abroad. The daily footfall before the Covid-19 scare was around 10,000 to 15,000.