Andhra Pradesh reported 16 fresh cases which were detected through COVID-19 tests conducted in the course of the day. With this the state’s tally has touched 381, on day-17 of the national lockdown.

The media bulletin issued by the state nodal officer, on Friday evening, stated that the highest number, 8 cases, were reported from Guntur district, and East Godavari reported 5, while Kurnool and Prakasam districts reported 2 cases each.

With 10 persons being cured and discharged from hospitals, and 6 deaths, the number of persons under treatment for COVID-19 in the state is 365.A

With 2 new cases reported in the latest batch of tests, Kurnool district’s tally rose to 77 cases and continues as the district with the highest number of COVID-19 cases in Andhra Pradesh. Guntur district ranks second with 58 cases while Nellore district remained in the third position, with 48 positive cases on Friday evening.

On Friday, the state intensified its containment strategy by identifying 133 high-incidence clusters as ‘red zones’.

The state nodal officer stated that clusters are spread across 11 of the 13 districts in the state. The highest number of 30 red zones have been identified in Nellore, followed by 22 in Kurnool, 16 in Krishna, 12 in Guntur, 12 in West Godavari, 11 in Prakasam.

Similarly, 8 clusters have been demarcated in East Godavari, 7 in Chittoor, 6 in Kadapa, 6 in Visakhapatnam, and 3 clusters in Anantapur district.

The zones will be monitored minutely, with focus on isolation, maintaining social distance and intense follow up by health workers. The containment zones will be bounded by buffer zones to prevent spread of the infection.