India to reopen Taj Mahal under strict safety guidelines

Pawan Sharma / AFP

India's iconic Taj Mahal is all set to reopen after a three-month COVID-19 shutdown, with strict safety measures in place.

All visitors will have to wear face masks at all times, maintain social distancing and not touch the monument.

The number of visitors will be restricted to 5,000 per day, and divided into two groups. Officials say it's a massive drop from 80,000 daily visitors during peak season.

"All centrally protected monuments & sites shall be bound by the protocols like sanitization, social distancing & other health protocols," the federal tourism ministry said in a tweet.

New Delhi's historic Red Fort will also reopen despite COVID-19 cases increasing rapidly in the country.

On Sunday, the country recorded 24,850 new cases, pushing the overall tally to 673,165.

More from International News

  • Syria's Assad and family granted asylum in Russia

    Syria's former President Bashar al-Assad is in Moscow with his family after Russia granted them asylum on humanitarian grounds, a Kremlin source told Russian news agencies on Sunday, while a deal has been made to ensure the safety of Russian military bases.

  • South Korea President Yoon banned from foreign travel

    South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been banned from leaving the country over a failed attempt at imposing martial law, a justice ministry official said on Monday, amid growing calls for him to step down and a deepening leadership crisis.

  • Trump vows to pardon Jan 6 defendants on Day One

    President-elect Donald Trump said in an interview that aired on Sunday he would act on his first day in office to pardon rioters involved in the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack, further building expectations for a broad granting of clemency.

  • At least 26 killed as pro-Turkish forces launch offensive in Syria

    At least 26 fighters were killed on Sunday as Turkish-backed Syrian forces launched an offensive in the Manbij region of northern Syria, days after seizing a Kurdish-held enclave, an NGO said.

Blogs