The Taj Mahal reopened on Wednesday. Visitors took selfies in front of the iconic Taj
The iconic Taj Mahal reopened on Wednesday months after being closed due to COVID-19 forced lockdown. "The Taj Mahal, among other ASI-protected monuments, will reopen from June 16," Vasant Kumar Swarnkar, superintending archaeologist of the Agra circle of Archaeological Survey of India was quoted by news agency ANI as saying. Mr Swarnkar added that strict COVID-protocols will be followed. Tickets will be sold online and on the phone. Here are the new COVID-linked guidelines for tourists at Taj Mahal.
Taj Mahal Reopens After Covid Lockdown: All you need to know
- Entry to the Taj will be allowed only via online tickets.
- No one will be allowed to enter the Taj without a mask.
- Only 650 visitors will be allowed inside Taj Mahal at any given time.
- Teams have been deputed to monitor visitors.
- Only five tickets can be booked on the phone.
- Visitors would not be allowed to touch the shining marble walls of the Taj, according to an ASI official.
- Visitors will have to step on a sponge-like platform, which will act as a sanitiser for shoes.
- A vaccination camp for the Taj employees have been set up on Tuesday, a day before the reopening of the iconic monument.
The Taj Mahal has been reopened for visitors after infections declined in recent weeks, with major cities including New Delhi and Mumbai lifting some curbs on movement and activities. One of the New Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal was shut down in March last year as the country imposed one of the world's strictest lockdowns at the start of the pandemic.