Fourteen more persons having links with traders in Koyambedu market in Chennai tested positive for coronavirus in SPSR Nellore district in the last 24 hours.
Nellore district, along with the neighbouring district of Chittoor, registered the highest number of cases in the State on Friday. With this, the number of confirmed cases went up to 140 in the Nellore district, while the number of active cases stood at 56, following discharge of three patients on recovery during the period.
Of the new cases, Nayudupeta accounted for eight of them followed by six in Nellore city. As many as 81 persons have been discharged so far in the district while three patients had succumbed to the disease.
After reviewing the health situation with officials, State Irrigation Minister P.Anil Kumar Yadav directed the officials to expeditiously identify all traders who had had contact with Chennai traders or visited the market. He appealed to the members of the trading community to voluntarily undergo testing.
As many as 1,000 persons, including primary contacts of traders who tested positive, were subjected to screening.
Market shut down
As a precautionary measure, people were dissuaded from visiting the A.C. Subba Reddy wholesale vegetable market in the city, and the authorities arranged for supply of vegetables and other essential commodities division-wise.
Police enforced the lockdown more stringently in Stonehousepeta, which has a high concentration of kirana shops, and also in the red zone areas of Sullurpeta, Tada and Naidupeta which are closer to Chennai.
The district administration also spell out elaborate guidelines to avoid crowding at the wholesale lemon market in Gudur and agri-commodity markets elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Prakasam district did not report any new cases, where 60 of the 63 patients have been cured of the viral disease.
