Maharashtra: Streets deserted in Aurangabad as city observes 9-day long Janta curfew

Called by the local administration, the Janta Curfew is in effect from 12am on Friday and will continue for nine days till July 18.

People in Maharashtra’s Aurangabad kept indoors on Friday as the city observed a Janta Curfew or a self-imposed curfew amid the rising cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

All services except the essential ones have been prohibited during this period.(ANI)

Called by the local administration, the Janta Curfew is in effect from 12am on Friday and will continue for nine days till July 18. All services except the essential ones have been prohibited during this period.

“I thank people of Aurangabad for their cooperation. We believe that the nine-day long curfew will help us slow down the spread of Covid-19,” Chiranjeevi Prasad, Aurangabad’s police commissioner, said.

The curfew will be implemented strictly and all arterial roads will be monitored closely, Prasad had said while speaking to the reporters on Thursday. He also said that action will be taken against people driving around without permission.

More than 7,400 people have been infected with the coronavirus in Aurangabad, according to Maharashtra health department data. It has said 314 patients have lost their lives to Covid-19 so far.

Maharashtra is the worst-affected state in India with more than 2.30 lakh cases of Covid-19 and 9,667 deaths related to the viral disease.

Meanwhile, the number of infections across India spiked to 793,802 after more than 26,500 new Covid-19 cases were recorded on Friday, according to the Union health ministry.

It said 475 Covid-19 patients succumbed to the viral disease in the last 24 hours, taking the toll to 21,604.