Two more persons tested positive for coronavirus in Prakasam district on Friday One patient hailed from Islampet in Ongole, which has emerged as COVID-19 hotspot.
Another patient is from Markapur town in western Prakasam which reported the first positive case.
With this, 40 persons contracted the dreaded disease in the district, COVID-19 Nodal Officer John Richards said. A student from the United Kingdom infected by the disease has so far recovered A majority of the infected persons had either attended the Tablighi Jammat meeting or their family members.
Red zones
The health authorities identified as ‘red zones’ 30 clusters in Nellore and 11 in Prakasam with a view to implementing the containment action plan with more vigour and prevent the spread of the disease.
All roads to Islampeta were sealed by the police, who ensured that none of the 7,000 families in the area stirred out of their homes. The district administration set up a quarantine centre in the RISE engineering college to move the primary and secondary contacts of the infected persons.
Superintendent of Police Siddharth Kaushal said criminal cases would be registered against those organising distribution of food, medical kits and essential commodities to people without getting the approval of the district administration.
Review
Meanwhile, State Irrigation Minister P. Anil Kumar Yadav, after reviewing the health situation along with his Cabinet colleague M. Goutham Reddy and officials in Nellore, said COVID-19 rapid testing kits would be provided to all mandals shortly in the wake of increase in the number of positive cases. These kits provide test results within an hour.
Disinfection tunnel
A 'disinfection tunnel' was put by the civic body in the sprawling P.V.R.M high school grounds, where a large number of people gather to purchase vegetables and other essential commodities during lockdown relaxation period every day.
As people walked through the ‘disinfection tunnel’ by raising their hands, sprayers overhead sprinkled disinfectant liquid.
People should still need to wash their hands and wear masks to maintain personal hygiene, Municipal Commissioner P. Niranjan Reddy said. More such tunnels would be put in place in other places in phases, he said after overseeing the third phase resurvey by health workers in Islampeta. Members of the Indian Red Cross Society arranged water and soaps for the visitors at the market.
