GUNTUR: Six municipalities and the Guntur Municipal Corporation (GMC), out of 13 civic bodies in Guntur district, have been declared red zones and in the remaining municipalities, containment measures are being implemented in view of increasing number of COVID-19 cases.
Officials have already declared some areas red zones in the GMC, Narasaraopet, Macherla, Piduguralla, Mangalagiri, Tadepalli and Ponnur municipalities in the wake of COVID-19 positive cases registered in these areas. The municipal commissioners of Tenali, Repalle, Bapatla, Vinukonda, Piduguralla and Sattenapalli have also intensified measures for containment of coronavirus.
Collector I Samuel Anand Kumar has promulgated prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC and appealed to the public to cooperate and follow lockdown up to May 3. He said there would be no inward and outward movement of any person from these municipalities that are announced as red zones for containment of COVID-19 and the people would stay in their houses to ensure complete lockdown.
The Piduguralla municipal authorities arranged barricades on Addanki-Narketpalli highway to restrict the public movement in the wake of COVID-19 positive cases registered in Dachepalli. Sattenapalli, Vinukonda, Gurajala and Bapatla civic authorities are also implementing lockdown strictly. Tenali Municipal Commissioner Jaswant Rao said ward 10 and 11 in the town were declared red zones on an experimental basis as part of a preparedness plan to combat coronavirus though no cases were registered in the town. He said that the people of these wards have to stay at home and inform the municipal authorities if they want supply of essentials at their doorstep.