JAGTIAL: Jagtial seems to be facing a Mumbai-like situation with many migrant labourers returning to the district from the country’s financial capital testing positive for Coronavirus.
In the last three days, five persons, including a married couple who returned from Mumbai, tested positive for Covid-19.
The district now has a total of six active cases, including a 65-year-old cancer patient, Thakkalapalli, District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) Dr P Sridhar said.
All the five, who belong to Thatipalli and Bonkur villages of Gollapalli mandal, and Rajakkapalli and Gullakota villages in Velugatoor mandal, returned from Mumbai, he said.
As on Thursday night 2,784 migrant workers reached the district from other States, and 90 per cent of them had travelled to Mumbai. Authorities instructed staff at all checkposts along the district’s borders to conduct thermal screening.
The Health Department has been testing all migrant workers returning from other States, especially from Maharashtra.
Meanwhile, SP Sindhu Sharma said all those with a travel history to other States were being ordered to home quarantine and those violating the rules would be sentenced to six years in jail.
If they do not abide by the home quarantine rules, they would be sent to a government isolation centre, the SP warned. So far, the district has registered five cases of home quarantine violations.
Khammam to be green zone on May 18
In three days, Khammam is set to be declared as a green zone as no Covid-19 cases have been reported in the last 25 days. As per the Union government‘s guidelines, if no positive cases are reported for 28 days since the first patient is discharged, then the area would be declared a green zone.
With the neighbouring Bhadradri Kothagudem district entering the green zone, the district administration is contemplating operating a few RTC buses. Speaking to Express, DMHO Dr B Sumathi said, “The next three days are important as May 18 is the day the district enters the green zone.” She added that District Collector RV Karnan and Police Commissioner Tafseer Iqubal have made all efforts to contain the spread of the virus