VISAKHAPATNAM: For the first time since coronavirus outbreak, Anakapalle town was brought under lockdown as it recorded 14 positive cases in a single day (Friday). All these cases are primary and secondary contacts of positive patients and the number is likely to increase as more suspect cases are undergoing tests.
Initially, a trader from Chinta Veedhi and a worker in a departmental store tested positive. Later, 12 of their contacts also tested positive. Among others, the trader, his son, a maid and a cashier at his shop, a doctor from Chinnababu Colony and his brother and a medical shop owner tested positive Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) chief medical officer IVLG Sastry said one km radius of the town was brought under containment zone and with half-km as buffer zone.
All shops will be closed in the containment zone and movement of people and vehicles will be restricted to check the spread of virus, he said. A team of GVMC officials will visit Anakapalle on Saturday to finalise the containment zones. Containment strategy will be adopted in the zone, he explained. Earlier, a positive case was reported in Kasimkota near Anakapalle. Following which, an intensive sanitisation drive was taken up by the civic officials. Now the trade centre in Anakapalle rural area has also been affected.
Meanwhile, YSRC spokesperson and MLA Gudivada Amarnadh said it has been decided to observe a 21-day lockdown in the town. Appealing to the people to stay at home, he said they should cooperate with the authorities in view of increasing number of positive cases. In Anakapalle mandal, except Chintalapalem, no cases were reported. However, one person who contracted the virus, has become a super-spreader and, as a result, the number of positive cases are increasing.
He appealed to all citizens to voluntarily undergo corona tests in a bid to check the spread of virus in the town. Meanwhile, the number of positive cases in the district increased to 143 as 17 new cases were reported on Friday. The fresh cases include 14 from Anakapalle, two from Kurmannapalem and one from Dibbapalem in Dandu Bazaar area.
There are 86 persons in home isolation and 889 in quarantine centres. Till now 36,678 samples were tested. Of them, 35,661 tested negative and 143 tested positive. There are six foreign returnees among those who tested positive. On Friday 2,028 samples tested negative, while 17 tested positive. Eighty-four persons, including four today, were discharged from the COVID-19 hospitals till now.
As there was no let-up in positive cases in Dandu Bazaar, Antony Nagar and other areas, GVMC has brought the areas under very active category. Now the entire one-km radius of these areas are brought under containment zone. Movement of people and vehicles will be restricted.
Apart from one-km containment zone, there will be 200 metre buffer zone. As many as eight wards — 19P, 20P, 21, 22P, 23P, 26P, 27P, 28P and 29P are brought under containment zones. All shops in Daba Gardens, Jagadamba Junction, and Poorna Market have been closed. The police have set up barricades to restrict movement of people and vehicles all along the one-km radius of the containment zone.