After a gap of 188 days, the Taj Mahal, the top tourist attraction in the country, opened to the public on 21st September. The response was lukewarm as only 1,235 tourists, including 20 foreigners, visited the Mughal-era monument amid strict Covid-19 safety protocol and social distancing norms. The Archaeological Survey of India has allowed only 5,000 tourists per day as against a daily average of over 25,000 tourists visiting the Taj in pre-Covid times. It stretched to nearly a lakh during festivals.

The Agra Fort, which too had been closed since the lockdown began in March, also reopened on Monday to a tepid response with only 248 tourists visiting the historic fort.

ASI’s superintending archeologist (Agra circle) Vasant Swarnkar said that all precautions are being taken and the tourists walking into the monuments have to sanitize their hands as well as footwear. The iconic ‘Diana’ bench – a vantage point for photography with the Taj in the background, which became famous after the British princess sat here in February 1992 – has been laminated and being sanitized from time to time, Swarnkar said, adding that group photography has been banned inside the 17 century monument to maintain social distancing.

A Chinese tourist was also among the foreign nationals who visited the Taj on the first day of its reopening. Looking happy, he got himself clicked, with the iconic Taj in the background. Tourists expressed relief over the scanty footfall at the monument. “We feel like VVIPs. And above all, it felt safe,” said one of the visitors.

A few visitors had to be turned back as their body temperature was found higher than normal. Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) commandant (Taj Mahal) Rahul Yadav said, “SOPs are being followed by all personnel. Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) kits have been provided to security persons involved in frisking tourists at the entry gate.”