Srikakulam, which remained free from coronavirus till April 25, has made it to the top spot among the three north Andhra districts in the number of positive cases.
The number of positive cases in Srikakulam district went up to 418 on Thursday, surpassing Visakhapatnam (352 cases) and Vizianagaram (116 cases).
Officials said that the situation might turn for the worse in the coming weeks as many positive cases were being reported on a daily basis. As many as 84 cases were reported on Wednesday alone.
Man dies at Mandasa
Around 30,000 people have returned from various places to the district in the last one month, which is being largely attributed to the spurt in the infection count. A 37-years-old man without any known travel history died of COVID at Mandasa village, 70 km away from the district headquarters.
With the steep rise in the positive cases in Srikakulam town, the district administration has declared ten streets including PN Colony and Mahalakshmi Nagar as containment zones.
‘Many cases asymptomatic’
Collector J. Nivas has been inspecting the sanitation and implementation of COVID-19 protocols in the containment zones. “Many persons who have been tested positive are asymptomatic. This is a big challenge as without symptoms, people do not even know that they have contracted the infection,” said Mr. Nivas.
The district administration have instructed all the doctors working at government hospitals to conduct tests on the people with respiratory problems. “Isolation wards will be arranged in all community hospitals. The doctors and medical staff have been told to wear protective gear without fail,” said the Collector.
District Medical and Health officer M. Chenchaiah advised people to be careful during the rainy season.
“Every person must wear mask and maintain social distance,” he added.
Meanwhile, senior citizens and differently abled people have complained that they are facing problems with the stringent norms in the containment zones.
‘Relax norms’
“With the restrictions in place, we are unable to buy even medicines. Senior citizens and differently abled people also need help as some areas have been under stringent restrictions for the last two months. The authorities should ensure smooth supply of essentials in the containment zones and relax the norms if possible,” said Art of Living coordinator K.S.N. Murthy from PN Colony which has been declared as a containment zone.
