Tourists throng Taj Mahal for New Year's Eve celebrations

Agra (Uttar Pradesh) [India], December 31 (ANI): A large number of tourists come to Agra every day to visit the iconic Taj Mahal. With New Year's Eve and the New Year both falling on the weekend, people have made up their minds to welcome the new year with the majestic view of the monument of love.
This time the year 2022 is ending on Saturday and the year 2023 is starting on Sunday and tourists seem all geared up for festivities.
The tourists who came to see the Taj Mahal looked very excited.
One of the tourists said, "The Taj Mahal looks very beautiful. There can be no better place to visit than this. Today the old year is ending and tomorrow the new year will start and we will fulfil the purpose for which we had come. The view is living up to our expectations."
A tourist from Ahmedabad said, "Taj Mahal is a part of the 'seven wonders of the world'. I enjoyed a lot today. There can be no better start to the new year than this view of the Taj Mahal."
"I have come with my family. We are visiting the Taj Mahal for the first time. The arrangements are all well in place. I would like to tell people to visit this beautiful monument at least once in their lifetime," said a female tourist.
Meanwhile, a tourist from Argentina, who had come to visit the Taj Mahal and tested positive for COVID-19 on December 26, has gone missing, said Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Agra Dr Arun Kumar Srivastava on Wednesday.
Health authorities in Agra have begun screening visitors at the Taj Mahal and other monuments in wake of the new Covid scare, focusing their efforts mainly on foreign tourists.
Domestic and foreign tourists come every day in large numbers to visit the Taj Mahal in Agra. Keeping the situation in mind, they will have to undergo a Covid test before their visit as per the official sources.
Anil Satsangi, the District Health Information Officer (Agra) had said, "The health department has already started the tests to prevent the spread of infection. As the alert is on, the tests have now been made mandatory for all the visitors."
In view of the COVID-19 surge in several countries, an alert has been issued in India too.
Meanwhile, testing has been ramped up at the Agra railway station, bus stands and airport following the Centre's guidelines amid a massive surge in Covid cases in several countries including China. (ANI)