Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has ordered the officials to make at least one lakh hospital beds ready to tackle a possible rise in COVID infections as people belonging to Andhra Pradesh stranded in foreign countries and other States are heading home subject to certain relaxations given by the Central government.
He also wanted quarantine facilities to be provided in village secretariats for 10 to 15 persons and at least 500 RTC buses (equipped with freezers) to be arranged for transporting essential commodities.
At a high-level review meeting on the containment of COVID-19 on Saturday, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said doctors, auxiliary nurse midwives (ANMs) and accredited social health activists (ASHAs) should be kept within the reach of the people.
He said the guidelines and standard operating procedures laid down by the Centre should be clearly communicated so that social distancing and other norms would be followed scrupulously.
Officials told the Chief Minister that the number of tests done per million population had reached 2,030 and the positivity rate stood at 1.41% against the national average of 3.82%.
Assistance
Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy instructed the officials to make the Rythu Bharosa centres functional by May 30 and to work out the modalities for setting up agriculture advisory boards at the village, mandal and State level.
Officials said arrangements were made for paying financial assistance to fishermen under the Matsyakara Bharosa scheme on May 6. They said priority was attached to procurement of various crops.
Ministers Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas and K. Kanna Babu, Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney, DGP Gautam Sawang and Agriculture Mission vice-chairman M.V.S. Nagi Reddy were among those present.
