Covid-19: The Taj Mahal Reopens for Tourists

India    23.09.2020    Transindus

After six months of being closed to all tourists, the Taj Mahal reopened earlier this week, on the 21st September, with strict new safety measures in place. Before lockdown, the Taj Mahal was one of India's most important sites for tourists and between seven and eight million visitors flocked there per year.

Today, a trip to the Taj Mahal looks very different, with a series of measures in place to keep visitors safe and the virus at bay. However, with visitor numbers reduced from 40,000 per day pre-Covid to just 5000 per day, split into sunrise and sunset slots, you are guaranteed a quieter and more personal experience of the wonder. 

However, with international flights still grounded, visas not being issued and it being very difficult to cross state borders, travel to the Taj Mahal is currently limited to travellers from within the state of Uttar Pradesh

The Taj Mahal's New Safety Measures

1. Face masks are compulsory at all times.
2. The ticket windows are closed and visitors are encouraged to purchase tickets online in advance. If you turn up at the gates without an e-ticket, you can purchase one by scanning a QR code at the entry point.
3. Temperatures are checked before entering through the gates of Taj Mahal.
4. Hand sanitizing stations are available throughout the site and you must use them before entering the Taj Mahal.
5. Visitors have to walk through the tray to sanitize their shoes.
6. A one way system has been put in place.
7. Numbers are limited inside the mausoleum to just five visitors at a time. 
8. Visitors are asked not to touch the railings or walls of the monument
9. Shoe covers are dispensed by a machine and are provided for inside the building. 
10. The locker rooms are closed and visitors are advised to keep their belongings in their vehicles or back at their hotel.
11. Group photographs are not allowed.

Photos from the Taj Mahal are below: