Coronavirus in India | Agra administration defers reopening of Taj Mahal, other monuments as cases surge

Considering the rapid increase in the number of coronavirus patients in the city, Agra administration has decided to defer the reopening of Taj Mahal and other monuments until further notice.

The decision was taken during a meeting between the district's COVID-19 team and the Superintending Archaeologist of Agra.

Agra District Magistrate Prabhu N Singh said the decision to defer reopening of monuments has been taken in accordance with orders issued by the Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh, authorising the local administration to take a final call on activities to be permitted in buffer zones outside containment zones, says a report by India Today.

Track this blog for LIVE updates on the COVID-19 outbreak

Agra city has 71 active containment zones and Taj Mahal is located under the limits of the Tajganj police station area, which has both containment zones and buffer zones.

As many as 3,691 centrally-protected monuments and archaeological sites maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) have been shut since March 17 in view of the coronavirus outbreak.

In addition to Taj Mahal, monuments like Sikandra, Etmad-Ud-Daulah, Fatehpur Sikri and Agra Fort will also remain shut until further notice. According to officials, reopening monuments will lead to increased movement of tourists and could cause a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases in Agra.

The Culture Minister on July 2 announced that all ASI protected monuments will be reopened for the public from July 6. In a tweet, Culture Minister Prahlad Patel said, "I have taken a decision along with the ministry of culture and the ASI to open all monuments from July 6."

Uttar Pradesh on Sunday recorded the highest single-day jump of 1,153 coronavirus cases, pushing the infection tally to 27,707. The death toll in the state reached 785 with 12 fresh fatalities.

Click here for Moneycontrol's full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic