High alert was sounded in the areas surrounding Macherla as at least four persons, who are part of a group that took part in a congregation at Tablighi Markaz at Nizamuddin , were tested positive for COVID-19. One more positive case was traced at Karempudi village and all the five have been linked to the meeting held at Nizamuddin during March 15-17, 2020.
The entire Macherla town has been declared a containment zone and barricades have been erected to prevent people from moving from one place to another. District Collector I. Samuel Ananda Kumar and Superintendent of Police Ch. Vijaya Rao took stock of the situation and a senior officer was placed in charge of containment operations.
``We have declared the entire Macherla town and Karempudi villages as red zones and we urge all those with a travel history to Delhi and any foreign country to contact us by dialing 100, 104, 1902. It will help if they come forward so that we can track their contacts and prevent any community spreading,’’ said Mr. Vijaya Rao.
Total cases nine
The total number of positive cases stood at nine, including four members of a single family in Guntur. Mangaldas Nagar, Anandapet and parts of Sangadigunta have been declared red zones in Guntur.
Admitting that the situation could turn serious, the district administration is making arrangements to identity suitable places for setting up quarantine centres. The police with the help of a corporate firm provided 8,000 masks, 4,000 sanitisers, and 8,000 gloves to policemen.
Meanwhile, the district administration continues to be on a state of high alert after the State government hinted that more number of positive cases could turn up in the coming days. ``We are making preparations to have 5,000 beds at quarantine centres. All private hospitals, health care facilities have been placed at the government’s disposal. If necessary, we will also set up quarantine centres at engineering colleges,’’ said a senior official.
