More areas in SPSR Nellore district were declared red zones in the wake of eight more persons testing positive for novel coronavirus.
With this, the number of COVID-19 patients in the district stood at 32 as on April 3. As many as 116 persons tested negative for the disease, while the results of 71 others are awaited, said District Collector M.V. Seshagiri Babu. Entry to the areas falling under red zone category was prohibited, he added.
As many as 420 persons who had returned from New Delhi after attending a religious congregation at Hazrat Nizamuddin were identified and isolated, Superintendent of Police Bhaskar Bhushan said and warned that criminal cases would be booked against those who came out of their homes without any valid reason during the lockdown period.
Meanwhile, the Italy returnee, the first to test positive for the virus in the district, was discharged on Friday.
The district administration implemented cluster containment action plan in, among other places, Nellore, Naidupeta, Kavali, Sullurpeta and Sriharikota in the wake of the spike in COVID-19 cases.
People could get medical advice by calling 18004256040 or 1077 for any queries Joint Collector V.Vinod Kumar said.
Prakasam dist.
In Prakasam district, the authorities implemented the cluster containment strategy in Ongole, Chirala, Kandukur and Chimakurthy as 17 persons tested positive for the disease.
Meanwhile, the London returnee who was the first person to test positive in the district was discharged from the Government General Hospital on Friday, its superintendent D. Sriramulu said.
Taking a serious note of traders jacking up the prices of essential commodities, Energy Minister Balineni Srinivasa Reddy, who inspected the shops in the Bapuji Market complex and on the busy Gandhi road in Ongole, warned of strict action against erring traders.
