India's historic Taj Mahal monument reopened Wednesday to the public as the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic begins to decline, prompting authorities to lift restrictions in a bid to revitalize its economy.
The 17th-century mausoleum, built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in Agra, was closed in early April as India imposed strict lockdown measures to combat a surge in coronavirus cases that are still killing thousands daily.
Taj Mahal draws 7 million to 8 million visitors annually or over 20,000 per day.
In a statement, Prabhu Singh, district magistrate of Agra, announced that 650 tourists are allowed inside the premises of the monument at any time.
Other federally protected monuments, including Red Fort and Qutub Minar, were also reopened to tourists on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, India reported 62,224 new coronavirus infections and 2,542 deaths over the past 24 hours.
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