Amaravati, May 17 (IANS): Andhra Pradesh has decided to extend the partial curfew, currently in place across the state, till the month end. The state government took the decision on Monday, following a review meeting that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy held with ministers and senior officials.

At Monday's review meet, the chief minister opined that while the partial curfew is in effect since ten days, tangible results can be expected only if it is imposed for four weeks.

The government had imposed a 14-day partial curfew from May 5, aiming to control the pandemic spread in the state. While the current curfew period was due to end on May 18, spiralling covid cases have forced the government to rethink the matter.

For the past several days, on average, the state has been reporting around 20,000 covid cases everyday, with the all-time daily high of 24,171 cases on Sunday.

Under the partial curfew, shops and other commercial establishments such as restaurants are allowed to function between 6 am and 12 noon, during which section 144 is imposed. Curfew will be in place from 12 noon to 6 am, during which only emergency services will be allowed to function.

Service establishments hospitals, covid testing labs, and pharmacies have been exempted from the partial curfew. Agricultural activities are allowed to continue in adhered to the guidelines issued by the agriculture department. The manufacturing sector has also been granted exemption by the government.