COVID Spike: Centrally Protected Monuments to be Shut Till 15 May

File photo of the Taj Mahal in Agra.

(Photo: PTI)

All centrally protected monuments, sites and museums under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will be shut with immediate effect till 15 May due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation, the Centre said on Thursday, 15 April.

Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel tweeted a government order to this effect on Thursday.

“Due to the prevailing COVID situation, it has been decided to close all centrally protected monuments, sites and museums under the ASI with immediate effect till May 15 or until further orders.”

ASI order

In 2020, too, all monuments and sites maintained by the ASI were closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

India reported 2,00,739 fresh COVID-19 cases on Thursday in the biggest one-day spike so far, taking the country’s total to 1,40,74,564, while the death toll rose by 1,038 to 1,73,123.

As per data from the Union Health Ministry, there are 14,71,877 active cases in the country, while 1,24,29,564 patients have been discharged so far.

India recently surpassed Brazil to become the country with the second-highest number of cases in the world.