India’s iconic monument Taj Mahal has shut down to halt the spread of the coronavirus, officials say.
The culture ministry said tens of thousands visit the “monument of love” every day and it was “imperative to shut it down”. The Taj Mahal is one of the world’s leading tourist attractions, and draws as many as 70,000 people every day.
India has 137 reported cases of Covid-19 and three related deaths. It has tested 6,000 people so far.
On Tuesday, the Indian government announced that all monuments and museums run by the Archaeological Survey of India across the country have also been shut to keep people safe.
Culture Minister Prahlad Patel said all the 143 monuments and museums would remain shut until 31 March and the decision would be reviewed after the shutdown period. On Tuesday, a 60-year-old doctor in the southern state of Karnataka tested positive after treating a man who died from the coronavirus last week.
India’s health ministry says it was among the first countries in the world to prepare for an outbreak of the respiratory illness, and denied allegations that it was slow in testing suspected cases.
Experts say that India is in a critical phase where it needs to halt community transmissions. The country has only tested 6,000 people so far and many believe that it’s not enough to halt the spread. Experts say that India needs to start testing thousands daily to effectively stop community transmissions. The government says it’s prepared and has now allowed even private labs to test, apart from government-run labs.
