Indian city to impose partial lockdown over COVID-19

MUMBAI -- The Aurangabad city in India's western state of Maharashtra will impose a partial lockdown starting March 11 with a complete lockdown on weekends due to a surge in the local COVID-19 cases, local authorities said Sunday.

Aurangabad, located 361 km from Mumbai, has reported 37,637 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 938 deaths so far. It currently has night curfew imposed from 11:00 pm to 6:00 am local time.

According to a decision made by the city officials on Sunday evening, malls and weekly markets will be shut, and restaurants are required to shorten business hours.

Aurangabad is a tourist destination featuring many historical monuments including Ajanta Caves and Ellora Caves, which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The Maharashtra state on Sunday reported 11,141 more confirmed cases of COVID-19, a record in five months, compared to daily cases of about 10,000 in the past week.