7-day curfew starts in G’chiroli, Akola to follow

Nagpur: As the number of Covid cases are increasing with each passing day, Gadchiroli town went into a seven-day janata curfew on Wednesday, while Vidarbha Chamber of Commerce & Industry (VCCI) at Akola decided to observe a five-day janata curfew in the district from September 25.
The curfew started in Gadchiroli on a day when the district crossed 2,000-mark of Covid patients, lowest among the districts in the state.
The curfew evoked spontaneous response from all sections of the society, including traders. All commercial establishments, barring that of essential commodities, remained closed.
Guardian minister Eknath Shinde had made an appeal to the public to observe seven-day janata curfew till September 30. The janata curfew, however, is restricted to Gadchiroli town only, at present.
In Akola, VCCI secretary Vivek Dalmia said during a meeting held on Wednesday and attended by nearly 100 office-bearers of over 50 traders’ bodies, it was unanimously decided to observe five-day janata curfew in the district.
Dalmia added daily around 100 Covid-19 cases are being reported in the district and medical service sector is under tremendous pressure. Till now, Akola has recorded 6,750 cases and 219 deaths.
“To break the chain of virus spread, closure of markets was necessary. We were in touch with public representatives, district and police administrations in the last few days. Barring pharmacies, dairy shops and medical services, all other establishments will remain closed,” said Dalmia.
In another development, Ashokkumar Dalmia, national president, Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), has written to Union minister for health and family welfare Harsh Vardhan to start short-term training courses for paramedical and support staff.
“The pandemic has proved that in addition to doctors, the country is facing extreme shortage of trained paramedical staff. Thus is affecting the quality of treatment to Covid-19 patients. Most of the private hospitals also do not have qualified staff. The GMCHs and AIIMS have all infrastructure and such courses can be started without any additional funds,” said Dalmia.