Gujarat: Sabarmati Ashram reopens for visitors after nine months
The historic Sabarmati Ashram, on Monday, reopened its doors for visitors, with social distancing and other COVID-19 protocols in place, after remaining closed for over nine months due to the coronavirus outbreak. Before the pandemic, on average, every day around 2,000 people used to visit the ashram, the former home of Mahatma Gandhi, and a historic center linked to India's independence movement.
Opening Sabarmati Ashram in the middle of COVID-19 outbreak
Managed by the Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust, the ashram was shut for visitors since March 20 last year following the coronavirus outbreak. "From Monday, we have once again opened the premises for visitors," Atul Pandya, the ashram's director, said.
Attractions that will still remain out of bounds
The museum and 'Hriday Kunj,' the house inside the ashram where Mahatma Gandhi had once lived, have been opened for the public, while the book shop, Khadi shop, and charkha gallery will remain closed. "People will touch things at these places, which is not advisable in the present situation. Thus, we have restricted the entry of visitors at these places," Pandya said.
Instructions issued to the public amidst the pandemic
People can visit the ashram between 10 am and 5 pm and it will be open all year round, including public holidays. Sufficient staff has been deployed to guide visitors to maintain social distancing and to ensure people wear their masks at all times. Sanitizer dispensers have been placed at 18 different places on the premises to stop the spread of the virus.
