820 Protected Monuments Are Set To Reopen, One Special Note At Taj Mahal

The fourth phase of lockdown came to an end, the government officially announced the guidelines for lockdown 5.0 or Unlock 1.0 which is implemented from Monday, 8 June 2020. As part of great efforts from the authorities to reopen the economy despite the sharp uptick in the Coronavirus cases, many public facilities including 820 protected monuments will be opened to the mass.

In the nutshell, the list of monuments contains temples, churches, and mosques allocated in the different parts of the nation. The north region has 114 monuments, 155 in cental, 279 in the south, 170 in the west, and 103 in the eastern states.

However, Maharashtra which has 65 protected monuments under the ASI (Archeikigucal Survey of India) will not be included as this state is the epicenter of Coronavirus pandemic in India. Topping the list is Karnatak with 153 monuments, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 111, Tamil Nadu (77).

For those who are unversed, around 3700 centrally protected religious places including monuments and heritage sites had to be closed since March after the nationwide lockdown order was implemented.

In Delhi alone which is home to 14 ASI-maintained monuments, the Nila Mosque, the Qutb Minar complex, and the Lal Gumbad are set to reopen to the public.

Even though the list approved for opening again contained the Taj Mahal, the district administration announced that it won’t open for the public from 8 June. The reason is said to be this place is currently classified as one of the hotspots of the outbreak.

The guidelines for visitors at the religious places were also set out.

• All devotees must mandatorily put on a mask or cover the face while in the shrine.
• They aren’t allowed to touch any idol, statue, and holy book. Charmat (holy water) or Prasad or any offering will not be given at the places of worship.
• Don’t use the community mats. Bring their own mats are highly recommended.
• Areas like anna-daan halls, langar halls, and community kitchen must operate under the social distancing guidelines.
• Everyone has to maintain a safe distance with each other inside the temple.

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