Covid cases on the rise again in Nellore

Nellore: Covid cases have again been on the rise in Nellore for the last one week. Till now, the number of cases were above 100 and officials are worried about the increasing number of cases even after imposing restrictions in the district.

Officials say the new cases being reported have links either with Chennai or Bengaluru cities. They attributed the rise in cases to blatant violation of restrictions at marketplaces and also due to community gatherings.

On Monday the district reported 241, Sunday 282, on Friday 228 and 210 on Thursday. Official data says the district has 2,360 active cases and reported 934 deaths since the start of pandemic from last year.

In Peddacherukuru, a couple of days ago, 15 positive cases were reported in a street which raised the alarm for immediate measures to control the upward trend of cases.

But with the state relaxing curfew hours from 6 am to 10 pm, there is curfew for only 8 hours during the nighttime and it seems these restrictions are insufficient for controlling the pandemic.

"The restrictions are inadequate to manage the situation. If this kind of condition continues, there would be chances of a possible third wave that hits badly.

People are also not maintaining social distance, not washing hands properly and simply wearing a mask without precautions. This is awfully bad," said S V Mallikarjunam, a retired bank manager.