Agra, Jan 4 (IANS): Ticket windows for a visit to the Taj Mahal in Agra have been closed in view of rising number of Covid cases.

Visitors can now book tickets online for a visit to the monument.

The Archaeological Survey of India has given the facility of online booking. However, inside the Taj Mahal, the counter on the jasmine floor under the main dome will be operational to buy an additional ticket of Rs 200.

Citing the Covid protocol, the ASI has closed the counters after tourists were flouting protocols by neither wearing masks nor following proper physical distancing.

The Archaeological Survey of India had restarted ticket counters for sale of tickets offline at the Taj Mahal from November 27 and other monuments from December 1, making it easier for people coming from rural India and those who did not have smartphones.

Now with the closure of ticket windows at all monuments, tourists will be able to book tickets online only.

ASI sells tickets in Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri, Sikandra, Etmauddaula, Mehtab Bagh, Rambagh and Maryam's Tomb along with Taj Mahal in Agra.