Hyderabad: 12 COVID-19 containment clusters identified in city

These clusters are Ramgopalpet, Sheikhpet, Red Hills, Malakpet-Santoshnagar, Chandrayangutta, Alwal, Moosapet, Kukatpally, Qutubullapur-Gajularamaram, Mayurinagar, Yosufguda, and Chandanagar. From these areas alone, 89 positive cases have been reported so far.

With 49 new positive cases detected on Wednesday, the total active COVID-19 cases in the state stand at 397. To date, 45 persons have recovered and been discharged, whereas 11 have succumbed to the disease. Hyderabad has 154 active cases.

GHMC Commissioner DS Lokesh Kumar said movement of the public in these clusters is being monitored and barricades have been erected. Apart from spraying disinfectants in these clusters, teams of health department and the corporation officials are visiting every household to identify those symptomatic to COVID-19.

As many as 63 persons who were among the 593 to be identified with travel history to Delhi’s Nizamuddin Markaz have been tested COVID-19 positive in Greater Hyderabad. Of their family members, 45 have been found infected.

Those found positive have been shifted to government-run isolation centres, Kumar said. The corporation is working in tandem with the Police, Revenue, and Health department in the operation, he added.

To avoid any congregation of the public, the government has started 330 mobile rythu bazaars (vegetable markets on wheels) to supply vegetables in different localities across the city.

Ration of 12 kg rice and Rs 500 in cash is being distributed to migrant laborers. The corporation has also identified 3,400 homeless people and accommodated them in 14 night-shelters, as well as in 12 temporary shelters. As many as 93 voluntary organisations have donated soaps, oil, and rice, etc for inmates of shelter homes.

Through Annapurna canteens, lunch and dinner are provided free of cost to 55,000 and 35,000 people, he added. This is in addition to 17,000 food packets donated by philanthropists and being distributed in 10 mobile vans monitored by a special wing set up in GHMC.

Also, the corporation has issued passes to 145 donors to distribute food in 400 locations across the city. According to Kumar, around 50,000 people are fed by these 145 donors.

The city is generating about 4,500-4,800 metric tonnes of garbage every day during the ongoing lockdown. Speaking about the safety of sanitation workers who have been provided with masks, Kumar said wearing a mask and gloves will be made mandatory. An order has been placed to supply a health kit, consisting of gloves, masks, soap, shoes and other required material and these kits, according to him, will be distributed among workers in a week.

Also, the corporation is expecting 60,000 reusable cloth masks to be readied by various women-led self-help groups. For the transport of sanitation workers, 34 buses have been arranged and volunteers in these buses will ensure social distancing, he added.