BENGALURU: India’s iconic Taj Mahal reopened to the public on Wednesday (Jun 16) as the country, still reeling from a disastrous second wave of the pandemic, rushes to lift restrictions in a bid to revitalise its economy.
The 17th century monument, built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the northern city of Agra, was closed in early April as India introduced strict lockdown measures in an effort to contain a surge in COVID-19 infections that is still killing thousands every day.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Only 650 tourists will be allowed inside the premises of the Taj Mahal at any point of time, Prabhu Singh, the District Magistrate of Agra said.
The white marble monument normally attracts 7 million to 8 million visitors annually, or an average of over 20,000 people per day.
The state of Uttar Pradesh, where Agra is located, reported 270 new infections overnight and 56 deaths. It is among India’s hardest states in terms of total COVID-19 cases.
READ: India gingerly eases COVID-19 rules as new cases dip to two-month low
Advertisement
Advertisement
Other federally protected monuments, including New Delhi’s Red Fort and Qutub Minar, were also re-opened to tourists on Wednesday, even as alarm bells ring in the world’s second most populous country over a resurgence of crowds in major cities that threatens to fuel another spike in infections.
Indian media reported traffic jams and a surge in tourists this week to the northern hill station of Shimla, famous for its picturesque views of snow-capped Himalayan peaks, further raising fears about the spread of the virus.
READ: India holds COVID-19 vaccination drive for people with disabilities
READ: India cuts taxes on medicines and equipment to treat COVID-19
Advertisement
India’s health ministry reported on Wednesday 62,224 new COVID-19 infections overnight, slightly higher than the previous day’s figures but still well below the May peak of over 400,000 daily infections.
The South Asian country’s total COVID-19 case load now stands at 29.63 million, while total fatalities are at 379,573, the data showed. India added 2,542 deaths overnight.
BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and its developments
Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
https://topcyber.site/ says
Hi to all, the contents present at this web site are truly amazing for people
knowledge, well, keep up the good work fellows.
Online Casino Games says
As a outcome, lots of Koreans are leaning towards those international bookmakers.
%anchor_text% says
Вы великолепны ! Завертываете
и еще на наш онлайн-проект 😀 %anchor_text%
Auto Window Replacement says
Wonderful article! This is the type of information that are meant to be shared around
the web. Shame on the search engines for not positioning this
post upper! Come on over and consult with my website
. Thank you =)
Glenna Provan says
%%
Take a look at my blog post :: https://www.yoonjo.co.kr/yoonjo/bbs/board.php?bo_table=free&wr_id=78481
Wilfredo Acosta says
ดูหนัง ดูหนังผ่านอินเตอร์เน็ต เว็บดูหนังฟรี ดูหนังhd ดูหนังใหม่ ดูละครซีรี่ย์ออนไลน์ – ดูหนัง ดูหนังออนไลน์ เว็บไซต์ดูหนังฟรี ดูหนังhd http://public.org.ru/links.php?go=https://www.movie-free.org/ ดูละครซีรี่ย์ออนไลน์ – เว็บดูหนังออนไลน์ หนังใหม่อัพเดททุกวี่ทุกวัน movie free ดูหนังฟรีไม่ต้องเสียเงิน ดูหนังไทย ดูหนังเอวี ดูละครซีรี่ย์ประเทศเกาหลี ซีรีย์ฝรั่ง ดูหนังnetflix หนังเต็มเรื่อง พากษ์ไทย ชัดแจ๋วระดับhd ดูหนังใหม่ชนโรง 2024 เว็บไซต์หนังประสิทธิภาพ ดูหนังผ่านเน็ตฟรีไม่มีประชาสัมพันธ์
olympus login slot says
This piece of writing will assist the internet people for setting up new
webpage or even a blog from start to end.
demo slot pg soft says
I have read so many posts concerning the blogger lovers except this post is in fact a good
piece of writing, keep it up.