Machu Picchu in Peru opens up for tourists after eight months of lockdown

“Today, Machu Picchu opens. It opens with [health and safety] protocols, it opens to say that we are reactivating ourselves but with responsibility and great prudence, because we see everything happening in the world with the pandemic,” Rocio Barrios, the Foreign Trade and Tourism Minister, was quoted as saying.

Artists perform at the world-renowned Incan citadel of Machu Picchu as it reopens for the first time since its 8-months-long closure to help curb the spread of COVID-19. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

The first set of tourists arrived November 1 at the Machu Picchu Pueblo — the village closest to the citadel — after a 90-minute journey along the Urubamba River from the ancient Inca village of Ollantaytambo, the Bangkok Post reports.

The number of cases in Peru have been declining, but visitors will be expected to maintain social distancing.

Previously, the site had opened up for a Japanese man named Jesse Katayama, who had been stuck in Peru ever since the coronavirus outbreak happened. He had got a chance to visit it after nearly seven months, and even posted pictures on his social media account.

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A post shared by Jesse Katayama (@jessekatayama)

Katayama had become the first visitor in over seven months to be able to safely walk through the world heritage site. He had his entry ticket with him since March. The Guardian reported that he had wanted to spend only a few days in Peru to experience Machu Picchu, whose ruins are part of a citadel built more than 500 years ago.

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