India has ordered the closure of the Taj Mahal, its most popular tourist attraction, amid mounting concerns that a lack of testing could mask the scale of the country’s coronavirus outbreak.

Visitor numbers to the 17th century monument outside the city of Agra were already down after the Indian government ordered a ban last week on all visas for foreign tourists.

Some visitors who entered the country before the travel ban came into force were pictured in tears outside the closed gates on Tuesday. The Taj Mahal – built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a grand tomb for his favourite wife – normally attracts as many as 70,000 people every day.

Its closure, and that of all the other 3,690 monuments and historical sites run by the Archaeological Survey of India nationwide, come amid increasingly strict measures taken by the government to try and stave off a Covid-19 epidemic.

From midday on Wednesday, the travel ban will be extended to cover all passengers coming from the UK, EU and Turkey, and will even include Indian nationals wanting to travel home from those countries, a senior source in the Indian foreign ministry confirmed.

The official said the advisory, issued amid some confusion on Monday, “does not make any distinction between Indian and foreign nationals”.

Asked whether this would potentially mean Indians being stranded in European countries, even if their visas had expired, the official said: “These are extraordinary times due to the pandemic and a temporary measure. Our missions will facilitate the visa extension and we hope the same will be agreed to by the EU countries.”

India, a country of almost 1.4 billion people, has had just 137 confirmed coronavirus cases, and on Tuesday reported only its third death – a 64-year-old man in Maharashtra, the worst-affected state.

But experts have expressed concerns that many infections could be going undetected, with the government’s limited policy on testing meaning only 11,500 people have had proper lab checks.

One British woman who was both experiencing symptoms and had suspected contact with a Covid-19 case left India for France after the authorities refused to test her. It is India’s policy that people will only be tested if they have suspected contact with a case or have travelled abroad, and then are still showing symptoms after 14 days of home quarantine.

One reason for the protocol – which goes against World Health Organisation advice and experiences of several countries that are testing as many people as they can – is the cost of conducting a test.

Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Show all 20 1 /20 Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Top: Nabi Younes market, Mosul Bottom: Charles Bridge, Prague Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Grand Mosque, Mecca A combination photo shows Muslim pilgrims wearing protective face masks, following the outbreak of the coronavirus, as they pray at Kaaba in the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia March 3, 2020 (top) and general view of Kaaba at the Grand Mosque which is almost empty of worshippers, after Saudi authority suspended umrah (Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca) amid the fear of coronavirus outbreak, at Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia March 6, 2020. REUTERS/Ganoo Essa TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY GANOO ESSA Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Sagrada Familia, Barcelona A combination photo shows tourists gathering around Sagrada Familia basilica, before closing it and suspending its construction work as a precautionary measure due to the coronavirus outbreak in Barcelona, Spain March 11, 2020. Picture taken March 11, 2020 and an empty street of tourists as basilica stopped receiving visitors and suspend its construction work as a precautionary measure due to the coronavirus outbreak, in Barcelona, Spain March 13, 2020. REUTERS/Nacho Doce NACHO DOCE Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Nabi Younes market, Mosul A combination picture shows people shopping at the Nabi Younes market (top) March 11, 2020 and the empty market during a curfew imposed by Iraqi authorities, following the outbreak of coronavirus, in east Mosul, Iraq March 15, 2020. REUTERS/Abdullah Rashid ABDULLAH RASHID Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Basra Grand Mosque, Iraq A combination picture shows worshipers walking out after performing prayers at Basra Grand Mosque in Basra, Iraq March 12, 2020 and the mosque seen empty after a curfew was imposed to prevent the spread of coronavirus, March 17, 2020. REUTERS/Essam Al-Sudani ESSAM AL-SUDANI Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Charles Bridge, Prague A combination picture shows tourists walking across the medieval Charles Bridge in Prague, Czech Republic, November 7, 2019 and the bridge empty as the Czech government restricts movement of people to slow the spread of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Czech Republic, March 16, 2020. REUTERS/David W Cerny DAVID W CERNY Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Taj Mahal hotel, India A combination picture shows the Taj Mahal hotel, November 25, 2018 and after the government tightened up measures for coronavirus prevention in Mumbai, India March 17, 2020. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas FRANCIS MASCARENHAS Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Dubai Mall, UAE A combination picture shows people at Dubai Mall (top), following the outbreak of coronavirus, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 12, 2020 and the mall seen almost empty of customers, as precaution amid the outbreak of coronavirus, March 16, 2020. REUTERS/Satish Kumar SATISH KUMAR SUBRAMANI Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Beirut March, Lebanon A combination picture shows men gathered at a beach in Beirut March 12, 2020, and the gathering place seen empty after Lebanon declared a medical state of emergency as part of the preventive measures against the spread of the coronavirus, in Beirut, Lebanon March 15, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir MOHAMED AZAKIR Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Gateway of India, Mumbai A combination picture shows the Gateway of India, August 18, 2016 and after the government tightened up measures for coronavirus prevention in Mumbai, India March 17, 2020. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui/Francis Mascarenhas FRANCIS MASCARENHAS Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Cairo University, Egypt A combination picture shows students attending a lecture at Cairo University (top) in Cairo, Egypt, February 12, 2020 and seats seen empty at the lecture hall following government efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus, March 15, 2020. REUTERS/Shokry Hussien TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY SHOKRY HUSSIEN Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Amman Citadel, Jordan A combination picture shows tourists posing for a picture at Amman Citadel, March 10, 2020, and the citadel seen empty after its closure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Jordan, in Amman, Jordan March 15, 2020. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed MUHAMMAD HAMED Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem A combination picture shows visitors, wearing masks as a preventive measure against coronavirus, arriving at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank March 5, 2020, and the same area seen almost empty of people following the closure of the church to prevent the spread of the coronavirus March 6, 2020. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma MUSSA ISSA QAWASMA Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Beirut March, Lebanon A combination picture shows people walking at Beirut's seaside Corniche March 15, 2020, and the corniche seen empty after Lebanon declared a medical state of emergency as part of the preventive measures against the spread of the coronavirus, in Beirut, Lebanon March 15, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir MOHAMED AZAKIR Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Cairo, Egypt A combination picture shows school children leaving the primary school of Omar El Mokhtar in Cairo, Egypt March 11, 2020 and the school seen closed following government efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus March 16, 2020. REUTERS/Rania Gomaa RANIA GOMAA Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Cairo University, Egypt A combination picture shows school children lining up at start of the day classes in Thamret Al Tawfiq School (top) in Cairo, Egypt March 8, 2020, and the school seen empty following government efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus, March 15, 2020. REUTERS/Hanaa Habib STRINGER Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Victoria Memorial, India A combination picture shows the historic Victoria Memorial monument June 21, 2019 and after the government tightened up measures for coronavirus prevention, in Kolkata, India March 17, 2020. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri RUPAK DE CHOWDHURI Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Amman Citadel, Jordan A combination picture shows tourists visiting the Amman Citadel, March 10, 2020, and the citadel seen empty after its closure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, in Amman, Jordan March 15, 2020. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed MUHAMMAD HAMED Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Amman Citadel, Jordan A combination picture shows tourists visiting the pillars of the Roman Temple of Hercules at the Amman Citadel, March 10, 2020, and the citadel seen empty after its closure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, in Amman, Jordan March 15, 2020. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed MUHAMMAD HAMED Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Sidon, Lebanon A combination picture shows people playing cards inside a cafe, March 12, 2020, and the cafe seen closed after Lebanon declared a medical state of emergency as part of the preventive measures against the spread of the coronavirus, in Sidon, Lebanon March 16, 2020. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho ALI HASHISHO Reuters

Officials are of the view that the Rs 5,000 (£56) it costs the public health system to test for Covid-19 would be better spent on longer standing health problems like tuberculosis, malnutrition and HIV/Aids, where that amount of money goes a long way in South Asia.

Instead, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) – the country’s top medical research body – is using random sample testing to monitor for what it calls “community spread”, the threshold whereby a country is experiencing new infections where there is no history of travel or contact with people who have travelled abroad.

At a news conference, ICMR experts said that no Covid-19 cases were detected among a sample of 1,000 patients with acute respiratory problems in February. Preliminary data for the first week of March, from a sample of 500 tests, didn’t show a single coronavirus case.

Balram Bhargava​, the ICMR’s director, said testing “indiscriminately” would be “premature” for India, where “we are still in stage 2 [local transmission]. Therefore it creates more fear, more paranoia and more hype,” he said.

But not everyone is agreed on the approach, or the conclusions drawn by the ICMR. “Given the pattern of disease in other places, and given our low level of testing, then I do think that community transmission is happening,” said Dr Gagandeep Kang, the director of the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute.

“Community spread is very likely” in a country like India, where more than 400 million people live in crowded cities and many do not have the regular access to clean water needed to follow hand-washing guidance, said Dr Anant Bhan, a global health researcher in Bhopal, central India.

“But the only way to know for sure is through more expansive testing,” he told the Associated Press.

City authorities are not waiting for cases to rise before taking action over social mixing. From Delhi to Mumbai to Bengaluru, India’s largest metropolises are closing schools, banning large gatherings and asking people to work from home where possible.

Yet there are also major shortcomings in public compliance with anti-virus orders. Health officials have struggled to maintain quarantines, with people fleeing from isolation wards complaining of filthy conditions.

In the central state of Maharashtra, five people, one of whom had tested negative and the rest who were awaiting test results, walked out of an isolation ward last Saturday.

And while India has implemented a 19th century epidemic law that empowers officials to punish those who flout containment measures, there is only so much the authorities can do without public compliance.

Aditya Bhatnagar, an Indian university student who was studying in Spain, described unsanitary conditions at an isolation ward where he and 50 others passengers on a Barcelona flight have been kept since landing in Delhi on Monday.

Rooms shared by around eight people lacked basic hygiene features such as clean bed sheets and bathrooms, and the group was not provided with masks or hand sanitiser despite still awaiting their Covid-19 test results.

“I don’t think these measures would be enough to contain the pandemic,” Bhatnagar said.