VIJAYAWADA: Krishna district witnessed a surge in coronavirus cases on Thursday with eight patients testing positive taking the total number of cases to 23. With the fresh cases, Krishna district has recorded the second-highest number of cases in the State now. Majority of patients who tested positive for coronavirus were attendees of Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin Markaz, said District Collector A Md Imtiaz.
In the sample tests conducted from Wednesday night to Thursday evening, 17 persons tested positive for coronavirus. Of the total cases, five persons belonging to a same family from Kummaripalem and Gupta Centre in the city tested positive for Covid-19. With the registration of fresh cases, the district administration has strengthened surveillance and instructions have been given to the officials concerned to declare the within 1 km radius of houses of corona patients as Red Zone, the Collector said.
To stop the movement of people to prevent spread of the virus in the areas, the district administration has ordered closure of all shops and establishments until further orders. The city police have been asked to ensure effective maintenance of law and order in those areas.District Health Officer Ramesh said that the New Government General Hospital and Pinnamaneni Siddhartha Medical College were already declared Covid-19 hospitals.
So far, 175 samples have been collected and of which 119 have tested negative and 23 positive. The results of remaining 33 samples are awaited. A total of 322 people have been kept in quarantine centres across the district. Food and medication are being provided to them, said MUDA Vice-Chairman Wilson Babu. Joint Collector K Madhavi Latha informed that a detailed list is being prepared so as to announce the positive cases reported areas as red zone and restrict the public and vehicular movement during the lockdown period completely.
Two of the fresh cases were reported from Nuzvid. Sub-Collector Swapnil Dinakar Pundkar announced wards 5, 6 and 14 and their 1 km radius as buffer zone, while wards 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15 and 16 and their 3 km radius as red zone. Asha workers were directed to inform the authorities concerned if they identify any positive case within 5 km radius of the town during their door-to-door survey, the Sub-Collector said.
‘Inform about Delhi returnees’
District Collector Imtiaz has appealed to the people to dial call centres (No 1077
and 1902) and inform the authorities if they came across anyone returned from New Delhi or else their family members and relatives are suffering from the symptoms of cold, flu and fever.