VIJAYAWADA: With Covid-19 cases increasing steadily in Vijayawada and Krishna district, the city police are conducting various drives to ensure people wear face masks and observe social distancing in public places to avoid the spread of the virus. According to statistics obtained from the city police, more than 33,150 cases have been registered in 2020 and 2021 under Section 188 of IPC and Section 51 of Disaster and Management Act, 2005. The police have collected Rs 28.5 lakh in the form of fines from violators.
There is an increasing trend in the number of Covid-19 cases in Krishna district and officers are worried as the new strain of virus is spreading fast among the people. There is an increase of positive cases in February and March. For the past two weeks, the city has been reporting not less than five new cases daily, taking the total active cases to 170 as on Sunday.
As per Covid-19 dashboard, the total positive cases in Krishna district stands at 49,120 and 48,263 patients have recovered of the virus. As many as 682 people succumbed to the virus in the last one year. Meanwhile, the district administration and the police department have issued a warning to prevent a second wave of Covid-19 in Vijayawada during summer in the backdrop of the rise in new cases in various States and cities.
Arrivals from Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and others are being closely monitord. “We have purportedly decided to invoke the penal provisions, including a fine of Rs 135 and counselling, against those violating the order to wear face masks and other norms to prevent the spread of the killer virus. Though the vaccination drive is in the process, there is no respite in the cases being reporting in State,” Commissioner of Police Bathini Sreenivasulu said.
Attributing the reasons for the rise in number of Covid-19 cases from ‘infected’ States, Sreenivasulu said it does not help that people fail to comply with Covid-19 Appropriate Behaviour of wearing face masks, maintaining social distance and sanitising hands regularly, while visiting public places such as shopping malls, theatres and religious places.
“Special teams have been constituted in order to spread awareness about usage of face mask as the virus is getting stronger again. All the establishments have been directed to sanitise their premises regularly without fail. In coming days, the enforcement will be intense and more stringent,” the Commissioner of Police warned.