The famous Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah in Delhi will remain closed till April 30 amid the unprecedented surge in COVID-19 cases in the national capital, its chairman Afsar Ali Nizami said on Saturday.
"We took the decision keeping in view the daily rise in coronavirus cases in the capital. Even though we have been following all COVID-19 protocols, including wearing masks and maintaining social distancing, we thought it best to keep the dargah closed till April 30," said Mr Nizami, chairperson, Dargah Sharif Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya.
In case the prevailing situation does not improve, the dargah might remain for a longer time, he added.
The holy month of Ramadan is currently underway and Muslims from across the country come to pay obeisance at the dargah.
During an online briefing on Saturday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the number of COVID-19 cases are rising rapidly with 24,000 fresh cases reported in the last 24 hours.
This is the highest single-day surge in the national capital till date. A day before, 19,486 COVID-19 cases and 141 deaths were reported in the national capital.
India added another record 2.34 lakh cases Saturday, taking the overall tally over 1.45 crore while 1,341 deaths in 24 hours took its death count to 1,75,649.
