Unanimous DecisionTS extends lockdown till April 30

Strict implementation of extended lockdown, says CM; 14 deaths out of the total of 503 cases in State

ray of hope: Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao said there was every possibility that Telangana would be largely free of the virus by April 24 given the present declining trend of positive cases.

State Bureau  12.04.2020

Hyderabad

In a move that was widely anticipated, the Telangana State Cabinet on Saturday decided to extend the lockdown till April 30 to check the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

Announcing this at a media conference after a four-and-half-hour Cabinet meeting at Pragathi Bhavan here, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, issuing a stern warning that the extended lockdown will be implemented very strictly, however, held out a ray of hope for the people, stating that there was every possibility that Telangana would be largely free of the virus by April 24 given the present declining trend of positive cases. “This would also largely depend on not many new cases surfacing, particularly from the areas that have been declared containment zones,” he added.

Status in State

Giving a detailed report on the status in the State, the Chief Minister said so far 14 deaths (including two on Saturday which also saw 16 fresh cases) had been reported out of the total of 503 positive cases in the State so far. “While 96 persons, most of them foreign returnees and their primary contacts who tested positive in the first wave of the virus, have been discharged, the number of active cases in the State in various hospitals as on Saturday is 393. Thankfully, none of them are critical cases and do not even require to be put on ventillators,” Chandrashekhar Rao said, adding that only 1,654 persons with symptoms were under quarantine in various facilities across the State.

Containment zones

Stating that all the 25,937 persons who were quarantined in various facilities with symptoms had been discharged after they completed the prescribed quarantine period, he said a total of 243 places, including 123 under GHMC limits and the remaining 120 in other areas across the State had been identified as containment zones. “The situation in these places is being monitored constantly, and people residing in these zones are not allowed to come out nor are people from outside allowed to enter these areas,” he said.

The Chief Minister, pointing out again that the situation would have been well under control but for the Markaz episode, said 1,200 Nizamuddin returnees and their primary and secondary contacts had been identified and traced and are either undergoing treatment or placed in quarantine facilities across the State. “All the corona positive patients in the State undergoing treatment at various hospitals and those under quarantine as of now are expected to be discharged by April 24,” he said, adding that if no fresh cases are reported during the intervening period, particularly from the containment zones, people can breathe easy since the situation would be under control.

Strict observance

“It is therefore essential that people maintain social distancing, adhere to the lockdown norms strictly, don’t indulge in mass meetings and refrain from religous gatherings since this would tremendously help in containing the virus,” he said. Observing that neighbouring Maharashtra was the worst hit State in the country, Chandrashekhar Rao said this was a matter of concern since the two States share a long border. “The borders will remain sealed and there will be increased vigilance to ensure that there is no movement of non-essential vehicles and people into Telangana from the neighbouring State,” he said. The Chief Minister also declared that all students of Classes 1 to 8 would be automatically promoted to higher classes. He appealed to parents not be worried about examinations and promised that a decision with regard to SSC examinations would be taken at a later date.