Coronavirus fears meant the historic Kartarpur Corridor, created last year to let Indian Sikhs visit a holy shrine in Punjab's Narowal district, remained closed today on one of the faith's most sacred days.

Hundreds of Pakistani Sikhs visited the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, a huge temple in Kartarpur marking the grave of Sikhism's founder Guru Nanak, to commemorate the 481st anniversary of his death.

This year would have been the first time Indian Sikhs could have crossed visa-free into Pakistan to mark the anniversary at the site.

“This corridor is not only an opportunity of pilgrimage for our Indian cousins but also an opportunity to come and meet us, which otherwise is quite difficult,” said 25-year-old science teacher Komal Mehra.