India reopens Taj Mahal citing risks COVID-19

NEW DELHI / AGRA (Reuters) – India withdrew a planned reopening of the Taj Mahal, citing the risk of new coronavirus infections spreading in the northern city of Agra from visitors flocking to see the 17th-century love monument .

Local authorities issued a new notice Sunday night ordering an extension of the confinements at monuments around Agra. The government order did not specify the duration of the blockade for monuments that have been closed since March.

“In the public interest, it has been decided that opening monuments in Agra will not be advisable from now on,” district authorities said in a notice published in Hindi.

Agra, one of India’s first major virus clusters, remains the worst affected city in Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state in the country.

It was not immediately clear whether the federal government would scrap its plan to reopen other monuments across the country, such as the historic Red Fort in New Delhi.

INFECTIONS TO THE HIGH REGISTRY

India’s coronavirus infections are increasing at the fastest rate in three months.

On Sunday, the health ministry reported a record single-day increase of 24,850 new cases and more than 600 deaths. That brought India’s overall count to 673,165 cases, closing in on Russia, the world’s third worst affected country.

But the government has been lifting a huge lockdown of India’s 1.3 billion people that has left tens of thousands out of work and closed businesses.

While international flights remain suspended, domestic travel has been opened and the government expects visitors to start returning to some popular destinations.

The containment zones, areas identified as the most affected by the virus, remain under strict blockade, with restricted access and movement of only essential goods and services.

“We do not expect visitors here because groups around the Taj, including shops and hotels, are closed,” said an official from the local district administration in Agra.