One of the seven wonders of the modern world, the Taj Mahal and other monuments of Agra, Uttar Pradesh, are set to re open for tourists from today, the 16th of June.
The decision was taken after Agra recorded a decline in the number of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases. The district authorities decided to re open these monuments and welcome domestic tourists. In regard to the re opening of the monuments, the district officials asked to make proper arrangements for the visitors, following COVID-19 protocol. Care should be taken to ensure there was no crowding and initially tickets would also be issued online. In addition, an individual can only book 5 tickets using one phone number. No one would be allowed on the premises of the Taj Mahal without a face mask.
The Agra District Magistrate Prabhu N. Singh, announced that no more than 650 people would be allowed inside the Taj Mahal at a given time and teams will be deputed to monitor the crowd size at all times.
For the staff working, there would be a vaccination camp, where everyone should take COVID-19 doses before the reopening of the Taj Mahal.
It is to be noted, the Taj Mahal and other historic monuments in Agra were shut since the past two months due to the Wuhan virus pandemic. With the decision of reopening these monuments, the tourism industry captains in Agra asked for resumption of international flights. In addition, hoteliers have also demanded a standard of operations (SOPs) and a special package to help the industry steer out of the crisis.
Due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, the tourism and hospitality industries of India suffered a massive financial crisis. Hotels in Agra have been either shut or partially opened since March 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has virtually crippled the hospitality and travel industry, which have been demanding special schemes and SOPs to tackle the economic crisis and function accordingly. In addition, local vendors and the handicraft markets also suffered heavily due to the lockdown in 2020 and 2021.
The Taj Mahal is one of the major international tourist attractions in India. Every year, the 17th century monument of love attracts nearly 7 million tourists, mostly international.
