Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah to remain closed till April 30 due to rising COVID-19 cases

In case the prevailing COVID-19 situation does not improve, the dargah's closure will be extended to a further date.

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New Delhi: The famous Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah will remain closed till April 30 in view of the unprecedented surge in COVID-19 cases in the national capital, its chairman Afsar Ali Nizami said.

"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 Nizami, chairperson, Dargah Sharif Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, reported news agency PTI.

In case the prevailing situation does not improve, we can extend the dargah's closure date further, he added.

The holy month of Ramadan is currently on 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.