Hyderabad: Amid the ongoing increase in COVID-19 cases, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has closed the historic Golconda Fort and Charminar.
An ASI circular said on Thursday that all the monuments / museums protected by the central government under the agency have been closed with immediate effect till 15 May.
Although the ASI has closed its monuments to visitors, there is no information about other heritage buildings or historical monuments that are currently open under the state government, like the Qutb Shahi tombs.
The Charminar and Golconda Fort were also closed last year due to the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic. Both reopened in September 2020, among other places.
After the reopening of the monuments, there were not many visitors for the first few months, but by February this year things gradually returned to normal, as hundreds of people were visiting Charminar and Golconda Fort.
In Telangana, the state government has not imposed any lockout so far, but has closed schools and colleges in the wake of the epidemic.
It is not yet clear whether the state government will also close the historical monuments. As of Thursday, all public spaces are open, and there is no intimacy on this front.
Furthermore, it may be noted that apart from chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, state Health Minister Etala Rajender also said that another lockout will not be implemented.
