HYDERABAD: Lockdown, which became word of the year in 2020, was the most googled word in the Telangana region in recent times amid rising cases of COVID-19 cases. However, interest for the word among netizens waned drastically once the government announced it has no plan to impose a fresh lockdown in the State.
The Google search for 'lockdown' in region reached its peak on March 22 and 23 when Education Minister Sabitha Indira Reddy said, "Coronavirus is once again spreading in the country. The cases are also being reported in educational institutions. So we have decided to temporarily close the educational institutes."
After the Minister’s announcement, the rumours of another lockdown started spreading along with fake news on social media and WhatsApp. According to Google Trends, the number of people who googled the word during the last week was almost same as during June last year.
The search for 'lockdown' rose by 100 per cent during the week - the most this year. But, once Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao clarified that there was no proposal to impose lockdown, it dropped to 36 per cent.
The trend had an adverse impact on some businesses. "We were about to rent out our space for a cafe. At the last minute, the client refused to take it. He said he doesn’t want to take any chances as there is going to be another lockdown," said Hyder Ali from Adarsh Nagar.
Drop in search post CM's assurance
The search for 'lockdown' rose by 100 per cent during the week - the most this year. But, once Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao clarified that there was no proposal to impose lockdown in the State, the figure dropped to 36 per cent.