Nellore city turns out to be Covid hotspot

Nellore: The Nellore city has been reeling under the influence of coronavirus. Many people in the city are falling prey to it because of negligence and failing to take appropriate preventive measures.

Out of the total registered 2,398 positive cases in the district, around 1,200 are from the city itself indicating the gravity of the situation. Around 50 people lost their lives in the district to COVID-19.

Out of the total population 29,63,557 of the district (2014), the city's population was around 5 lakhs (2011). Nellore has emerged as a tier-2 city with industries, economic zones, thermal plants, and many manufacturing units in its surroundings and started witnessing migration of people from other parts of the state.

The city population has been growing enormously due to these population and the number is around 75,000 people, who basically settled in the district headquarters relying on various trades and professions.

Now, it has become a difficult situation for the administration to contain livelihoods of local people and migrants in the light of the intensifying pandemic.

A total of 1,143 cases registered only in the city limits up to July 17 which occupies around 50 pc of total infected persons across the district. For the last couple of days, many positive cases are being reported from the city. Almost all areas in the city are having positive cases and the district administration is gradually encouraging home-based isolation to the infected people with slight symptoms aged between 10 and 50 for safe environs.

"This is because of the negligent attitude of the youngsters who consider the virus as a common infection that will be cleared within a fortnight. So, the number is increasing as they have not been taking proper protective measures.

In many areas, local population feeling containment regulations as an additional burden for movement of commuters and are removing the fencing voluntarily," said K Ranganatham from the Dargamitta area.

He added that volunteers and Sachivalayam staff members are facing pressure from them. A senior official from the civic body said one shouldn't flout containment regulations. He added that they are taking stringent measures in case the removal of fences and barricading for preventing further infection. On Saturday, 125 cases were registered in the city.