HYDERABAD: Six new confirmed cases of coronavirus on Tuesday have taken the total number in the State to 39. The Chief Minister announced strict action against those flouting home quarantine regulations including seizure of passports and a probable imprisonment of five years.
The State Health Department on Monday said that of the six cases, three are locally transmitted from a previously positive patient. One is a 64-year-old woman from Manikonda, a primary contact of P25. The two other are the DSP of Kothagudem and his 33-year-old female cook. Earlier, the DSP’s son tested postive.
The three other new cases are from various areas in Hyderabad — namely Kokapet, Begumpet and Chandanagar. P34 is 49-year-old and has a travel history of London, P35 is a 39-year-old with travel from Germany, and P36 is a 61-year-old who recently returned from Saudi Arabia.
CM K Chandrasekhar Rao said he has directed the seizure of 19,313 passports of people currently under home quarantine. Their passports will be cancelled if they flout quarantine norms. He added, “We may impose five-year imprisonment for these people. The decision has not been taken yet, however we are seriously deliberating on implementing such a step.”
He further added that there are currently 114 suspected cases of Covid of which 82 are foreign returnees and 32 are local people. Many from across the city were unable to access the helpline numbers and had to resort to Twitter, and tagged official accounts of the Telangana police DGP, KTR and CM’s camp’s office hoping for a response.
A citizen, Syed Kashaf, tweeted, "I received a call from a lady who follows me on Insta working in Hi-Tech city she is having problem in breathing, High fever and throat pain most probably the symptoms of #corona. 108 & 100 failed to reach her. Sir @KTRTRS we tried calling 104 for 6 times they failed to respond it’s positive case of #COVID-19 she came to Hyderabad on 17 via flight from Jabalpur. She is ill from 5 days. She stays in a hostel and communicated with more than 50 other women. Please take necessary action (sic)."