Thanks to the strict implementation of the lockdown and curfew in entire Karimnagar district, there is no fresh case of the COVID-19 in any part of the district since last six days.
Only on March 19, 10 Indonesians were tested COVID-19 positive and later on March 23 a person, who moved closely with the Indonesian preachers, had tested positive. Since then, the administration had declared ‘red zone’ in three municipal divisions of Karimnagar municipality in Mukarampura, Kashmirgadda and other locations where the Indonesians had roamed and sealed off the localities with barricades and deployment of police stopping the residents of the area from moving in the rest of the town to help stop the spread of the virus.
Due to the strict restriction on the residents in the ‘red zone’ by supplying them with all essential commodities such as milk, vegetables, groceries at their doorstep and taking up sanitisation activities, the authorities could control the spread of the virus in the town and there was no spurt in the disease since last six days. On Sunday, the authorities provided mobile ATM services in the red zone.
As a precautionary measure, the district administration, in collaboration with the police machinery, had shifted 74 persons mostly from the Mukarampura locality to the isolation ward at the Chalmeda Ananda Rao Institute of Medical Sciences (CAIMS). They were suspected to have moved closely with the Indonesians who had tested positive. The condition of all the persons under isolation in CAIMS is stated to be normal.
The administration launched a door-to-door screening of residents of the ‘Red Zone’ in the first phase and later would take up intensive medical screening of the residents in the area from Tuesday. “If there is no positive cases after medical screening, then they would free up the area,” the sources said.
With no fresh reports of cases of COVID-19, the district administration also relaxed the curfew period from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and later to 6 a.m. to 12 noon and from Sunday it has been relaxed up to 2 p.m. to enable people to purchase essential commodities.
The authorities accorded top priority to the social distancing to check the spread of the virus at all vegetable markets, shopping malls, kirana shops and other places. The busy and crowded main vegetable market has been shifted to the spacious RTC bus station complex and the rythu bazaar at Gandhi road to the agricultural market yard to encourage social distancing. Around 12 new vegetable markets have been opened in various localities for decentralised purchases and check crowding.
