Coronavirus: Positive cases rise to 252 in AP

Amaravati: The growing number of corona positive cases in Andhra Pradesh is causing concern to the Government and Health authorities. The tally has reached 252 on Sunday with Guntur district alone reporting 30 positive cases forcing the authorities to impose complete lockdown in Guntur.

According to Collector Samuel Ananda Kumar, from Monday no one will be allowed to enter Guntur or go out of the town. All red zone areas have been sealed and violators will face stern punishment. He called upon the retired staff of various departments like Health to extend their services in tackling the situation. State nodal officer Dr Srikanth Arja said that the maximum number of positive cases was 23 from Kurnool, followed by Chittoor with 17 positive cases. Two results each from Ongole and Nellore also came positive during the night.

Currently, the maximum number of positive cases in Andhra Pradesh are from Nellore district where 34 samples have tested COVID-19 positive. Krishna district has 28 cases, followed by Kadapa and Prakasam districts with 23 cases each. Chittoor has 17 cases while Visakhapatnam and West Godavari have reported 15 cases each so far. East Godavari has 11 cases and Anantapur district has three positive cases.

Vizianagaram and Srikakulam are the only districts to not have any reported COVID-19 cases. The state saw a spurt in COVID-19 cases after March 20, when a large number of people who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Delhi, between March 15-17, began returning to their homes. A number of foreign delegates at the congregation had transmitted coronavirus to the participants, resulting in the spike in cases in Andhra Pradesh.

In view of this, Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy held a high-level review meeting on Sunday and directed the Health authorities to set up isolation wards at every hospital in the State and testing labs in every district.

Jagan asked the officials to identify all those who had attended the Jamaat and their relatives and conduct tests for symptoms of COVID-19. He called upon the doctors and Health workers to take preventive measures while treating COVID-19 patients.