COVID-19: Total shutdown in Vijayawada after AP reports 19 +ve cases

Vijayawada: The government of Andhra Pradesh has ordered a strict lockdown in the red zones of Vijayawada and surrounding areas to contain the spread of Corona virus. All shops and establishments at various divisions under the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation have been asked to down their shutters.

Kummaripalem, Old R.R. Pet, Ranigari Thota, Khuddus Nagar, Payakapuram, and Sanath Nagar in Perumaluru Mandal will be under complete lockdown. The timing for essential commodities has been limited to between 6 a.m and 9 a.m until further orders, the Krishna district collector said.

Nineteen positive cases were reported between 9 a.m and 6 p.m on Wednesday, taking the total number of cases in Andhra Pradesh to 348. Meanwhile, three patients have recovered and were discharged from a hospital in Vizag city on Wednesday. So far, nine patients have recovered in the state and four have died.

Of the 19 new cases, Guntur reported eight, Anantapur seven, Prakasam three, and West Godavari district reported one case. Kurnool has the highest number of COVID-19 cases, 75, followed by Guntur with 49 cases, and Nellore, which has reported 48 cases. Krishna district has 35 COVID-19 cases, Kadapa has 28, Prakasam 27, West Godavari 22, Vizag and Chittoor have reported 20 cases each, while Anantapur has 13 cases and East Godavari 11.

Four medical staff, including two junior doctors and two nurses, of Government General Hospital in Anantapur, tested positive for Coronavirus on 8 April. Confirming the news, the district medical and health officer (DMHO), Anil Kumar, said the four had been treating infected patients in the hospital for the past few days. The district reported seven new COVID-19 cases, including the four, bringing the total number of cases in Anantapur to 13. Sources said that virus was transmitted to the four medical staff from a patient whose family had allegedly hidden his travel history.