Amaravati,  With curfew in place from 12 noon onwards, the streets of Andhra Pradesh wore a deserted look on Wednesday. In view of the spiralling Covid numbers the state government, headed by Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy, has imposed a two-week partial curfew from Wednesday.

In main cities like Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Guntur, Tirupati, Rajamahendravaram, Nellore and other places, the streets emptied out as people returned to their homes.

Public and private transport is also being curtailed during the curfew hours.

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

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

The partial curfew will be in force till May 18.