Amid coronavirus outbreak, prominent temples and monuments have closed entry of people as a precautionary measure. Some prominent tourist and religious attractions in India will remain shut as a precautionary measure till further notice.
The Taj Mahal will be closed for tourists from Tuesday onwards amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. Officials said that the decision was communicated to them on Monday night by the Ministry of Tourism in New Delhi. The Taj Mahal’s closure will be a major jolt to the domestic tourism industry, particularly the hospitality sector since the shutdown would lead to more cancellation of bookings in Agra.
The world-famous Ajanta and Ellora caves near Aurangabad, the popular Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai and the Tuljabhawani temple in Osmanabad district would remain closed in view of the coronavirus situation in Maharashtra. Even entry restrictions to Mantralaya, the state secretariat in south Mumbai which sees thousands of visitors daily, will also be in force.
According to reports, devotees will not be allowed to attend ‘Bhasmarti’ at Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain till March 31 due to coronavirus. The coronavirus scare has impacted Lord Balaji hill shrine atop Tirumala with the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams deciding to cancel some daily and weekly rituals and religious events.
Even Vrindavan Iskcon Temple in Mathura has asked foreign devotees not to visit the temple. Saurabh Das, PRO of Vrindavan Iskcon Temple in Mathura told ANI, “Due to coronavirus, we’ve requested foreign devotees not to visit the temple for the next 2months. If they want to visit, they will have to produce the medical certificate to prove that they are not infected.”
On Monday, the health ministry said that the number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases in India has gone up to 114. Covid-19, which has globally infected over 1.5 lakh people, is likely to cause more shutdowns across the country as more states rush to stop the virus from spreading.