MACHU PICCHU, Peru – With the exception of road and signal repair, the majestic Inca citadel of Machu Picchu in Peru is unsettlingly empty before it reopens on Sunday after seven months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The prolonged closure of Peru’s main tourist attraction, which has hit the local economy, marks the moment of closure since tourism was opened in 1948, the first time in 2010 when torrential and prolonged rains forced it.
The 15th-century stone complex will receive 675 visitors a day from Sunday, Machu Picchu Archaeological Park Director José Bastante told The Associated Press on an exclusive excursion to the almost empty ruins before its opening. Reopening.
“We have an admission capacity limited to 30% according to biosecurity measures and protocols,” he said quite a bit while overseeing the latest arrangements to open the UNESCO World Heritage site.
The site is used to receiving 3,000 tourists depending on the day, recently passed regulations restricting visitors to 2,244 visitors depending on the day to protect the ruins. It is still a giant number given that experts estimate that in the 15th century a maximum of 410 people lived in the citadel on the border between the Andes and the Amazon.
Before entering, visitors will be taken the temperature and must wear a mask and be separated by at least 2 meters from each other, the groups, adding a guide, may not exceed 8 and no children under 12 years of age will be allowed. Avoid overcrowding, visitors will do it on 4 routes.
Tour operators will offer packages that charge $250 to Machu Picchu, which, before the pandemic, would charge at least $750.
Peru’s tourism revenue has been frozen since it declared a general blockade on March 16 to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, and so far, another 34,197 people have died from COVID-19 in the country.
Machu Picchu is Peru’s tourist gem and has attracted 1. 5 million visitors in 2018. La citadel built in the 15th century as a devout shrine for the Incas at an altitude of 2,490 meters (8170 feet).
Machu Picchu of Peru re-opened on Sunday after the closure of the Wire Services/Associated Press pandemic.