The closure of Taj Mahal came after RBI said it would inject more cash into financial markets (File)
The iconic Taj Mahal will be closed to visitors from today as part of measures to try and combat the coronavirus pandemic, the tourism ministry said on Monday.
Most schools and entertainment facilities, including cinemas, have already been closed across India, the world's second-most populous country with 1.3 billion people.
India has reported 114 positive cases and two deaths from the virus.
Worldwide, the number of deaths has passed 6,500 with more than 168,000 infections in 142 countries and territories.
"All ticketed monuments and all other museums have been directed to be closed until March 31," Tourism Minister Prahlad Patel tweeted late Monday.
The UN cultural agency United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) calls the white marble Taj Mahal the "jewel of Muslim art". US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania visited the site last month during his official visit to India.
India has also suspended all incoming tourists, and will bar passengers of flights from the European Union, the European Free Trade Association, Turkey and the United Kingdom from Wednesday.
Travellers coming from or transiting through the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait are required to undergo a 14-day quarantine when they arrive in India, the government announced late on Monday.
Arrivals from China, Italy, Iran, South Korea, France, Spain and Germany are already subject to similar restrictions, while most border points with neighbouring Bangladesh and Myanmar have been shut.
The closure of the Taj Mahal came as the central bank, after an emergency meeting, said Monday it would boost cash injections into financial markets by one trillion rupees ($13.5 billion) to address the economic impact of the pandemic.
The Reserve Bank of India also announced another round of foreign-currency swap to inject $2 billion into the market to stabilise the rupee, which fell to record lows last week.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)