HYDERABAD: As expected, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday declared that any relaxations in the State would be decided only after considering the exit plan of the Centre to be announced before the expiry of the nationwide lockdown on May 17.
The Chief Minister, however, said that the lockdown would continue in the State as announced earlier.
“But from Saturday, all shops that sell air-conditioners, automobile showrooms as well as shops that sell automobile spare parts would be allowed to operate. The registration and RTA offices will continue to work,” he said.
Meanwhile, during a review meeting on the status of the incidence of Coronavirus in the State at Pragathi Bhavan, the Chief Minister said that except in four zones in Hyderabad — Charminar, Karwan, LB Nagar and Malakpet — no fresh cases of Covid-19 have been reported from any part of the capital or the rest of the State. “All active cases are from these four zones, where there are about 1, 442 families. Though it is a fact that migrant labourers from Yadadri, Jangaon and Mancherial had tested positive, the residents of the districts had not fallen victim to the infection.
"Even those migrant workers are under treatment in Hydearabd. This means that the three districts are free from positive cases,” he said.
In the four zones in Hyderabad where positive cases are being reported, the government is strictly enforcing the lockdown and those who exhibit Covid-19 symptoms are being tested, he said. The Chief Minister also sought to allay fears about Coronavirus.
“There is no need to be scared of Coronavirus. Those who are recovering from infection are quite high in number. Those who died constitute only 2.38 per cent as against national average of 3.5 per cent. We do not know how long this virus will last,” he said. He was categorical that those who arrive by flights from abroad and by trains from other states should be tested for Covid-19 and if they exhibit symptoms, they should be shifted to hospital or home quarantined.
Watch out for seasonal fevers: CM tells officials
“Those who arrive by flights should be taken to their native places by buses. The migrant labourers who arrive in Telangana by trains too should be tested for Covid-19,” he said. As regards to seasonal fevers that might raise their head after the advent of monsoon, the Chief Minister stressed that the officials should watch out for them. “The officials should sanitise towns and villages. Sodium hypochlorite should be sprayed at least four times a month in all the towns and villages. There should not be any garbage anywhere and special care should be taken to prevent proliferation of mosquitoes.” “Though the State is now in a financial straitjacket, yet funds have been released for February, March and April for use in taking up sanitation works in towns and villages and for June, funds would be released soon,” he added.
Those who arrive in TS should be tested: CM
The CM was categorical that those who arrive by flights from abroad and by trains from other states should be tested for Covid-19 and if they show symptoms, they should be shifted to hospitals.