Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhara Rao on Sunday announced that the central government has imposed a complete lockdown in five districts in the state including Hyderabad, Sangareddy, Ranga Reddy, Medchal and Bhadrachalam and appealed to to the people to remain indoors during the period.
Addressing a press conference soon after the central government’s decision to impose complete lockdown in 75 districts across the country as the total number of novel coronavirus cases in India rose to 341 on Sunday, the chief minister said the move to impose lockdown in Telangana was in the larger interests of public safety and should not be viewed as an insult on the people of the state. He also informed that five fresh cases of Covid-19 positive cases were detected, all the five were foreign returnees – two from Dubai, two from London and one from Scotland. The total number people with Covid-19 in Telangana rose to 26 after the state reported five fresh cases on Sunday. “All the corona virus cases reported in Telangana are foreign returnees,” he said.
“We will have a total lockdown as per 1897 Act. All state borders will remain closed. No more than five people can gather. Those who flout rules will face punishment. It is not like curfew, but people should not come out in their own best interest. One person from each family will be allowed to step out of their houses to buy essential commodities,” Rao said while addressing a press conference. The decision to lockdown in Telangana was taken at a high-level meeting attended by chief secretaries of all states and the cabinet secretary and the principal secretary to the prime minister, Rao informed. The state governments may expand the list depending on their assessment of the situation.
During the lock down period, all forms of public transport, including metro, bus services and autos will be non-operational. It has also been decided to suspend the interstate bus services till March 31. All train services remain suspended till March 31, including sub-urban rail services. However, goods trains are exempted. All metro rail services were also suspended till March 31. However, all essential services will be in operation in all five districts of Telangana under lockdown, the chief minister informed.
During the lockdown period, Rao stated that employees of both the government and private sector should be paid their salaries. “Even the private sector cannot deny salaries to its employees during the lock down period,” the chief minister noted. Daily wagers will be given 12 kg rice per individual and Rs 1,500 for groceries for the entire family, Rao said.
The chief minister thanked the people of Telangana in showing an overwhelming response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for ‘Janata curfew’ on Sunday by staying indoors and clapped in solidarity to the PM’s call in honour of all the medical staff and other employees working round the clock in India’s fight against corona virus. In Hyderabad and elsewhere in Telangana, streets wore a deserted look as people stayed indoors. It was no different in Andhra Pradesh where people stayed indoors.
The other districts where lockdown was announced are from states that include Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. In
On Saturday, the chief minister reviewed the situation in Karimnagar district, where 10 members of an evangelist group from Indonesia were tested positive for the deadly disease following which the state government had announced a complete lockdown in Karimnagar.
A 10-member religious group had landed in New Delhi last week. They took the AP Sampark Kranti Express and reached Ramagundam on 14 March. The group then traveled in a private vehicle to Karimnagar where they stayed in a Mosque for two nights
With the maximum number of corona cases reported in Karimnagar, which has a population of over three lakh, the state government put the district on high alert and immediately swung into action to contain and tackle further spread of the virus
The Indonesians tested positive for Covid-19 were shifted to the Gandhi Hospital. Further, all those who came in contact with the Indonesians were also shifted to the Gandhi hospital.
The group of 10 Indonesians stayed near the collectorate and the area within a three-kilometre radius was kept on strict surveillance. Residents of several houses, within the vicinity and outside of it, were thoroughly checked by medical teams for corona virus. It is learnt that the Indonesians visited three mosques in Karimnagar. The state government and administration in Karimnagar have put several teams to scan the areas visited by the Indonesians.
