KAKINADA: As many as 117 coronavirus cases were reported in East Godavari district on Saturday, taking the count to 1,177. Of the 117 cases, 45 were reported from Samalkota, 18 from Kakinada Urban, nine from Pithapuram and eight from Rajamahendravaram (Urban) and the remaining from rural areas of the district.
District Collector D Muralidhar Reddy said if any shopkeeper was found without a mask, then his or her shop would be closed for a week. He also warned of imposing fines on mask violators - Rs 100 fine in city and Rs 50 in rural areas.
The police and the civic staff are seen closing the shops, especially those which remained open after 10 am at Kakinada Main Road, Temple Road and containment clusters. Of the total 198 containment clusters in the district, 141 are active. The medical teams have collected 1,01,096 swab samples so far and the results of 7,308 are awaited.
The district administration is setting up three Covid-19 care centres with 6,000 bed capacity, the works of which are moving at a brisk pace. Meanwhile, the coronavirus cases are on the rise in Chellur and Gollala Mamidada. The officials have intensified containment measures in these two villages.