All centrally protected monuments, museums and sites under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will be closed with immediate effect till May 15, reported ANI. The decision comes from the Union culture ministry on Thursday, in view of rising Coivd-19 cases in the country.
“In view of prevailing #COVID19 situation, all centrally protected monuments/sites & museums under Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will be closed with immediate effect till May 15 or until further orders,” Union Minister of State for Culture & Tourism (I/C) Prahlad Singh Patel said on Thursday.
In view of prevailing #COVID19 situation, all centrally protected monuments/sites & museums under Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will be closed with immediate effect till May 15 or until further orders: Union Minister of State for Culture & Tourism (I/C) Prahlad Singh Patel pic.twitter.com/hRtXotbv0c
— ANI (@ANI) April 15, 2021
The notice released by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) said, “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 and till May 15 or until further orders.”
Last year, too, all monuments and sites maintained by the ASI were closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
There are nearly 3,700 monuments and sites under the Archeological Survey of India. Most schools and entertainment facilities, including cinemas, have already been closed across the country.
India has seen an alarming rise of the novel coronavirus cases as it hit a record daily high with over 2 lakh infections being reported in a day, while the active cases surpassed the 14 lakh mark, according to the government data on Thursday.
With new cases being reported on Thursday, the total tally of Covid-19 cases in the country rose to 1,40,74,564.
Meanwhile, the Delhi government today announced to impose a weekend curfew in the capital. Apart from that, several other states have announced new and strict restrictions owing to the spike in Covid-19 cases.
