Aurangabad district administration orders to shut down tourist places till April 4

On Mar 11, 2021

Aurangabad: District collector Sunil Chavan and Municipal Commissioner Astik Kumar Pandey have jointly ordered to close the world-famous heritage sites of Ajanta and Ellora, the other tourist spots in the district till April 4. The new order issued also states no more than 20 people will be allowed to attend a funeral. Earlier the district administration had allowed tourist places to be open from Monday to Friday.

The local administration has decided for a partial lockdown from March 11 to April 4 amid a spike in Covid-19 cases in the state’s tourism capital Aurangabad. According to the order issued by the Aurangabad district collector Sunil Chavan, public meetings, weekly markets, sports competitions, schools, colleges, will be closed. Wedding ceremonies will also not be allowed. The essential services will continue uninterrupted.

Aurangabad accounted for 426 new cases of infection reported from across Maharashtra on Tuesday. The district has so far reported 56,539 confirmed cases, has an active caseload of more than 4,354.

According to the Aurangabad district administration, the “partial lockdown” will entail the closure of markets, malls and cinema halls during the weekends. Tourist spots, including the heritage sites of Ajanta and Ellora, will also remain closed on Saturdays and Sundays.

No weddings will be allowed to be held in banquet halls between March 11 and April 4, said officials.

Industries will continue to operate in this period but the the workforce there will be instructed to undergo RT-PCR tests, the collector said. The administration has decided to shut Jadhavwadi market in Aurangabad city for seven days from March 11, he said, adding, “If traders from this market commit to follow guidelines we can rethink of this decision later.”

Malls and cinema halls will remain shut during the weekends. Restaurants and hotels can operate at 50 percent of their seating capacity till 9 pm every day and people can order food from them till 11 pm, he added.