COVID-19 Spike: Govt close Monuments, sites, museums till May 15

In view of the prevailing COVID-19 situation, all centrally protected monuments, sites and museums under the 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 (Independent Charge) Prahlad Singh Patel informed.

An order to this effect was issued by the ASI and it was tweeted by Culture Minister



Prahlad Patel this evening. These include 3,693 monuments and 50 museums.

In live monuments like Puri Jagannath Temple and Somnath Temple, daily 'puja' will be conducted but no public gathering will be allowed, said Nitin Tripathi, the ministry's media advisor.

Last year, too, all monuments and sites maintained by the ASI were closed due to the coronavirus pandemic on March 17.