Life is limping back to normalcy after 50 days of lockdown, thanks to relaxation of restrictions in the erstwhile undivided district, which has by and large been an orange zone and struggling to be categorised as green zone.
Construction activity has started and workers are back at work sites. Trucks are moving with building material such as sand, steel and metal. Roads which wore a deserted look in the last seven weeks are seen with a number of vehicles and people. The busy Khaleelwadi, known as Doctors’ Street with a number of private hospitals regained its busy look.
The district which had seen a rapid hike in coronavirus positive cases in the beginning with great efforts controlled the spread and as of now only five persons are undergoing treatment in Gandhi Hospital. According to the authorities, there are no new cases and if those five are discharged, the district is likely to be declared as green zone. All those 5,000 people who were in self-quarantine were declared hale and healthy and allowed to come out of homes. As shops and establishments were permitted to open 50:50 per cent on alternate day in a rotation mode, their business also reasonably started.
“However, there is problem of workers as many of them went back to their homes in different States. Workers from neighbouring Maharashtra and also Andhra Pradesh left home, hitting hard the construction activity,” said K. Srinivas, a builder. With the police strictly imposing hefty fines on those who are not wearing face masks, many people are wearing them. However, some are not following physical distancing, which is all the more important. A majority of private hospitals have been opened and outpatient number has fallen down to 50 per cent compared to normal days in pre-COVID period, says Dr. B. Kesavulu, a senior neuro-psychiatrist. The visiting patients are sitting closely in hospitals where there is no sufficient space and in at distance of 3 feet in big hospitals. “As there are a number of asymptomatic cases it will certainly be a danger in coming days,” says another doctor in Khaleelwadi area.
