CHITTOOR: Two village revenue officers (VROs) were among the 24 COVID-19 infectees detected in the holy town of Srikalahasti on Monday. With this, the patients’ tally in the town and Chittoor district rose to 34 and 53, respectively.So far, four persons from the district were discharged from hospitals after recovering from coronavirus.
After a 74-year-old man from Rangampeta village tested positive, transportation between Mandals has also been restricted to contain the further spread of the virus. Briefing newsmen on Monday, district collector Narayana Bharat Gupta said 25 COVID-19 cases were reported in the district on the day. One patient hails from Chandragiri Assembly constituency.
Bharat Gupta mentioned that 12 of the 24 patients in Srikalahasti are government employees who work with revenue and police departments, and at village secretariats.However, the collector allayed fears of community transmission and said all new patients were believed to have contracted the novel coronavirus from primary contacts of previously-detected coronavirus patients.“All contacts of the new infectees are being identified and quarantined,” he added.
The district administration has also declared Nindra, Narayanavanam and Pichatur mandals as red zones.
Tirupati MLA Bhumana Karunakar Reddy and municipal corporation chief PS Girisha told reporters that as many as 10 out of 50 wards in the temple town were declared as red zones.After one more infectee was identified at New Indira Nagar Colony in Tirupati on Monday, the MLA and municipal commissioner inspected the colony and sealed its exit points.