VIJAYAWADA: Vijayawada has recorded a surge of 52 coronavirus cases in a day, taking its tally to 160. Most of these cases are from Krishna Lanka and Karmika Nagar, where two truck drivers spread the virus to 40 people by playing cards and other indoor games with their neighbours.
Between 9 am on Saturday and 9 am on Sunday, the number of infectees in Krishna district shot up from 125 to 177, with Vijayawada accounting for all new cases.
The city took 38 days (since its first case) to touch the 150-mark, and just four days for its tally to jump from 88 to 160.
Krishna district Collector A Md Imtiaz attributed the spike in cases to people flouting social distancing norms, and pointed out how just two individuals transmitted the virus to at least 20 people each in Krishna Lanka and Karmika Nagar, where the most Covid-19 cases have been recorded in the city. Both regions are densely populated, and officials are finding it difficult to reach the hillocks of Karmika Nagar, where 34 infectees have been identified.
Of the 52 new cases in Vijayawada, 24 are from Krishna Lanka, 18 from Karmika Nagar, 4 from Khuddus Nagar, 4 from Gandhi Nagar, and 2 from Gudavalli. Officials said all new infectees in Krishna Lanka and Karmika Nagar had come in contact with the truck drivers in the respective localities, one whom had returned from Kolkata. Collector A Md Imtiaz, Police Commissioner Dwaraka Tirumala Rao and other officials conducted a whirlwind tour of Krishna Lanka to sensitise the public about the spread of coronavirus.
“With two persons behaving irresponsibly and disregarding social distancing norms, the number of positive cases has shot up. We have shifted their relatives and close contacts to quarantine centres. Medical teams have been told to prioritise these cases,” the Collector said. Of the four cases reported from Gandhi Nagar, none of the infectees had returned from outside the state or country, or come in contact with attendees of the Nizamuddin Markaz. In Khuddus Nagar, three members of a family tested positive.