Mumbai: The Mumbai's Taraporewala aquarium has in a letter urged the state ministry of health to issue steps to be followed by the administrative.
Situated at Marine Drive, the famous aquarium is home to marine and freshwater fishes alongside underwater creatures, including morays, turtles, reefs, sharks and a variety of coral fish.
At a regular basis, the aquarium records an average footfall between 600-800 on weekdays, while on weekends the recorded footfall stands between 1,500-2,000.
A major proportion of the visitors are students who come to the aquarium as per their school visit. The administration had written to them earlier on Thursday to seek guidance, following which the state government has instructed the administration to suspend the operation of the zoo March 14 onwards until further notice.
“Mostly schoolchildren visit the aquarium for recreation. We intend to seek a safety measure so the epidemic doesn't spread among the kids,” said Pulkesh Kadam, the aquarium curator.
Following suit, the Byculla zoo (Rani Bagh) administration has increased sanitary drives. Sanitation drives at the food courts and enclosure premises have been increased. The ground staff has been directed to use masks. However, the zoo will not be suspended for public."
“The government has ordered the closure of gyms, malls, swimming pools and theatres. However, we are keeping the zoo open as it is an open space,” said Dr Sanjay Tripathi, the zoo director.
“However, the zoo administration is keeping a tab on the sanitation to ensure adequate safety,” added Tripathi.
