New Delhi (NVI): Due to rise in number of coronavirus cases, the monuments in Agra – Taj Mahal, Akbar’s Tomb and Fatehpur Sikri – will not re-open from today as they were located in containment or buffer zones for COVID-19.
The development comes after the Union Culture Ministry decided to open all the historical places on July 6 along with other monuments that comes under Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
However on Sunday, the district administration said in a statement that there had been 55 new COVID-19 cases in the past four days and 71 areas have been declared containment zones.
The decision to not re-open these monuments from July 6 was taken during a meeting between the district’s COVID-19 team and the Superintendent Archaeologist of Agra.
Agra administrations would decide on which monuments to open, depending on the list of containment zones and guidelines of the Ministries of Home Affairs and Health.
According to the officials, reopening these monuments will lead to increased movement of tourists and could cause a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases in Agra.
-RJV/CHK
