The Taj Mahal was closed for two months, the second time during the Covid-19 pandemic

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, NEW DELHI – Taj Mahal India will be reopened to visitors on Wednesday (June 16) after more than two months of closure as part of the measures to contain the coronavirus. It’s the second time the UNESCO World Heritage Site has been closed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Archaeological Survey of India, which manages the site, said visitors were not allowed to touch any part of the building and social distancing and other measures were being enforced.

“Visitors have to step on the mat like a sponge that serves as a shoe shine,” said one official The national news, Tuesday (15/6).

The Taj Mahal is a memorial to the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan’s love for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. The famous memorial was closed when the pandemic first hit India last year, but reopened in September after a drop in cases of the deadly virus.

The marble tomb is also one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Construction lasted more than 20 years and finally opened in 1653.

The Taj Mahal is located in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, which was hit by India’s second wave. But quarantine measures and increased vaccination programs have led to a significant decrease in new infections.

As of Sunday, June 13, the region had recorded 468 new cases, compared to a daily high of more than 36,000 infections in April. The closure of the Taj Mahal more than 200 days a year has devastated Indian businesses that rely on tourist arrivals.