Coronavirus: India's Oldest Museum in Kolkata Closes Doors to Tourists till March 31

Kolkata, March 15, 2020:

Keeping in view the threat posed by the outbreak of the pandemic coronavirus (COVID-19), the authorities have decided to close down the Indian Museum in Kolkata, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the West Bengal capital.

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This is a significant move as the Indian Museum in Kolkata, also referred to as the Imperial Museum at Calcutta in colonial-era texts, is the ninth oldest museum of the world, and the oldest museum in India. Meanwhile, the iconic Victoria Memorial Hall announced closure till the month-end. Meanwhile, all sporting events in the state have also been cancelled in wake of the virus, the state's CM Mamata Banerjee said. Furthermore, all educational institutions have been closed down and all seminars, workshops, and tours have been cancelled in the Trinamool Congress ruled state. However, the board examinations will be held as per schedule.

Meanwhile, the state Government authorities have also informed that raids are on to check the black market operations in dealing of masks and hand sanitizers, which have seen their demand skyrocket after the outbreak of the pandemic.

An order issued by the museum authorities reads, "In view of the evolving situation on the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) which has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, and following the Advisory of the Health Ministry of the Government of India, Indian Museum, Kolkata will remain closed for the visitors from March 15, 2020, to March 31, 2020 or until further notice in public interest."

Meanwhile, India has hit the century mask as long as COVID-19 cases are concerned, reports have confirmed. Maharashtra has recorded the most number of cases, at 31.

Maharashtra has now become a 'hot zone' for the virus, with the leap in its infection count from 19 to 31 in a day making it the state with the most number of cases; Kerala, meanwhile, has recorded 22 cases. The number of deaths from the virus has now touched 2 in India.

The novel virus has claimed as many as 5,839 lives worldwide, and 74,970 people are currently affected. 5,652 (8%) are said to be in serious/critical condition. Total cases currently is 156,745. Recovered cases stand at 75,936.

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Countries like Italy and Spain have taken extreme precautions of locking down the entire country to contain the spread of the virus. While Italy had imposed a complete lockdown, Spain on Saturday evening declared ’emergency’ urging its people to stay home until two weeks. Spain has recently seen a massive outbreak of the COVID-19.

The US has also declared national emergency. All the major sports activities have been postponed across the globe. In India, Indian Premier League has been postponed with a view to put ‘safety first’ over the rest. Mass gatherings, shopping malls, gyms, etc. have also been ordered to remain shut in many States of India.

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