Maharashtra: Complete lockdown imposed in Aurangabad on weekends amid surge in Covid cases
1 min read . Updated: 13 Mar 2021, 09:09 AM IST
Premium- The Aurangabad district authorities had earlier announced that monuments here will remain shut till 4 April, in light of the pandemic situation
- However, tourists and tour guides were unhappy with the move
In a bid to tackle the rise in coronavirus cases, the administration in Maharashtra's Aurangabad district has imposed a complete lockdown on weekends. On weekdays, authorities have ordered a partial shutdown.
The total number of Covid-19 cases in Aurangabad district is 57,755 including 5,569 active cases, till Friday.
The district administration had earlier announced that monuments in Maharashtra's Aurangabad district will remain shut till 4 April, in light of the pandemic situation.
Aurangabad is home to world heritage sites Ajanta and Ellora Caves, and monuments including Bibi Ka Maqbara and Daultabad (Devgiri) fort.
However, tourists and tour guides were unhappy with the move.
Sanjeev Sethi (48), a tourist who travelled to Aurangabad from Noida said, "I drove almost 1,290 km from Noida and all of sudden, I was told that monuments are now shut."
Tourists should have been intimated about the decision in advance, he added.
Rahul Nikam, the president of Ajanta Guides Association said the monuments had been reopened after a long lockdown and the business was yet to pick up.
"There are not more than 40 visitors in everyday and proper social distancing is followed. The administration should revoke the decision," he said.
Maharashtra records 15,000-plus new Covid cases
Maharashtra recorded this year's highest one-day spike on the third day in a row on Friday with 15,817 new infections coming to light.
The caseload in the state rose to 22,82,191, while the death toll reached 52,723 with 56 new fatalities.
The state had earlier reported more than 15,000 cases on October 2 last year, after which new cases had declined.
But a fresh surge in cases began last month and the state recorded 13,659 and 14,317 cases on Wednesday and Thursday.
As many as 11,344 patients were discharged from hospitals on Friday, taking the total of recoveries to 21,17,744.
There are 1,10,485 active cases.
