Taj Mahal and other Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) protected monuments are scheduled to open from Wednesday. These sites were closed for around two months in the wake of the severe wave of coronavirus pandemic in the country.
Here are the rules for entry to Taj Mahal
No more than 650 people will be allowed inside Taj Mahal at a given time. Teams will be deputed to monitor the crowd in the heritage place at all times, said Agra district magistrate Prabhi N Singh, reported news agency ANI.
Also read: ASI protected monuments to reopen on June 16; tickets to be available online
Only five tickets can be booked with one phone number. Covid-19 vaccination camp has also been set up for the workers on Tuesday, ANI quoted Singh as saying.
Entry to Taj Mahal will be allowed only via online tickets and no one will be allowed to enter the premises without masks, ANI quoted ASI’s superintending archaeologist (Agra circle) Vasant Kumar Swarnkar as saying.
"Entry will be allowed only via online tickets. No one will be allowed to enter sans masks," Swarnkar said, reported ANI.
{{/usCountry}}"Entry will be allowed only via online tickets. No one will be allowed to enter sans masks," Swarnkar said, reported ANI.
{{/usCountry}}Sanitization of the monument premises will be done thrice a day. Social distancing will be strictly maintained, said Swarnkar.
The body temperature of the tourists will also be checked before entry. Shoes will also be sanitized, he added.
Tourists are not allowed to touch any object inside the Taj Mahal or any other monuments and sites, PTI quoted him as saying.
The ASI order stated that the opening of the monuments shall be in strict compliance with the executive orders, if any, issued by the state, district or disaster management authority.
The order also directed that appropriate guidelines and SOPs issued by the Union and state governments, ministries and departments will be scrupulously followed while regulating the flow of visitors in the wake of the pandemic.
Also read: Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri to undergo conservation work amid lockdown
The Union minister or culture and tourism Prahlad Patel on Monday shared the ASI order and said that tourists can now visit the monument.
"Today @MinOfCultureGoI has given @ASIGoI approval to duly open all the monuments of India from 16 June 2021. Tourists can visit the monuments following the Corona rules. Good luck to all," Patel's tweet, in Hindi, read.