Taj Mahal and other monuments in Agra to remain shut until further notice

Given the rising number of Coronavirus cases, it has been decided by the local authorities that the iconic Taj Mahal and other monuments in Agra will remain shut until further notice. Earlier, the Tourism Ministry had announced that the doors of the Taj Maha, along with all the other ASI monuments in the country, lwill be opened to tourists on July 6. But the decision was changed as 55 new cases were recorded in the 71 containment zones of the district recently.

A document was released by the district authorities on Sunday which read "The Taj Mahal, which is in the Taj Ganj police station jurisdiction, is a 'containment zone'."
Prabhu N Singh, the District Magistrate addressed the media, saying, “The decision has been taken in wake of the COVID-19 situation as the monument comes under 'buffer zone' areas."

Agra's Taj Mahal to stay closed for public, even as monuments under Archaeological Survey of India are set to open from today. The decision has been taken in wake of the #COVID19 situation as the monument comes under 'buffer zone' areas, as per Prabhu N Singh, District Magistrate pic.twitter.com/2JFGbNEUq8

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) July 6, 2020

The monuments that fall in COVID-19 buffer zones include the world-famous Taj Mahal, Akbar Tomb and Agra Fort among others. These historical structures will remain closed for tourists until further notice as the re-opening date has not been announced yet.

On July 2, it was announced by Prahlad Singh Patel (the Union Minister of Tourism and Culture) that all the monuments will reopen to tourists from July 6 after remaining closed for more than three months because of the pandemic situation.

But a notice was published by the district authorities which mentioned, "In the interest of the public, it has been decided that opening monuments in Agra will not be advisable as of now."

Because of the COVID-19 triggered nationwide lockdown, the economy has suffered a lot and it has also put a dent on the state government revenue. These monuments draw tourists from across the globe, especially the Taj Mahal, which is also among the Seven Wonders of the World.

The country recorded its highest daily surge on Sunday (July 5) which took India's Coronavirus positive cases to 6.73 lakh and death toll to 19,268.