The Delhi Government announced National Delhi Monuments Re Opens Amid Lockdown, Gives Hope To Tourist GuidesCapital monuments to be re opened for visitors from the 6th of July.
Delhi monuments like Humayun’s Tomb, Qutub Minar and other monuments would be reopened after 4 months of the lockdown.
Despite the spread of the Novel Coronavirus or COVID-19, the Delhi Government opened these monuments to the citizens.
However, the State Government ensured all the safety measures and guidelines to contain the spread of the virus and safety of the people.
In addition, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government restricted the number of visitors and strictly implemented social distancing and COVID-19 protocols.
The opening is a ray of hope for the tourist guides of Delhi who are jobless since the lockdown was imposed.
Kishori Mistry, a tourist guide said, “As long as international flights remain suspended and trains don’t run in usual numbers, it is unlikely that things will improve for us. But, the reopening of the monuments is definitely a start. The last few months were very tough. I lost almost Rs. 50,000 due to the coronavirus lockdown. I had to use all my savings to survive.”
Aakash Kumar, another guide said, “Here the spaces are so open that we aren’t worried that social distancing would be an issue. Besides, we have to always remember that our safety is in our own hands.”
The Central Government, on the 24th of March, announced a nationwide lockdown as a precautionary measure to control the deadly virus spread.
The lockdown was revised 4 times and continued till the 1st of May.
Post May, the Central Government allowed a few relaxations and opening of malls, temples and religious places under Unlock phases.
Currently, India is in Unlock phase 2, under which malls, restaurants, intra state transportation, movement of people, flight services, railways and offices with 100 % force are operational.
Speaking about the entry and the ticket counters at these monuments, social distancing floor markers welcomed visitors, following which body temperature would be scanned including sanitiser dispensers would be available.
Security staff inside the monuments were instructed to ensure social distancing and people are wearing masks.
Ticket counters were also replaced by boards displaying QR to buy tickets. There would be two time slots to visit monuments, one would be before noon and another would be from afternoon till 6:00 P.M.
Due to the pandemic situation, monuments like Qutub Minar and Humayun’s Tomb witnessed only 300 to 400 visitors instead of the usual 6,000 to 7,000 visitors on its first day of the reopening. The State Government allowed 1,000 to 1,500 visitors at a time.
Approximately 173 monuments were opened from the 6th of July in Delhi. These monuments are under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and include Red Fort, Humayun’s Tomb, Qutub Minar, Safdarjung Tomb, Purana Quila, Tughlaqabad Fort, Firoz Shah Kotla and others.
According to a government official, “Delhi’s ASI-protected monuments have been reopened for the public as per the directions of the Culture Ministry.”
All the monuments of Delhi would remain open from 7:00 A.M., to 7:00 P.M.
Stay tuned for further updates.
