Lockdown measures were tightened as 26 persons tested positive in Prakasam and Nellore districts in the last 24 hours.
Eighteen of these were from Prakasam, where the cases spread across the city of Ongole, in colonies including Samata Nagar, Nirmal Nagar and Sujata Nagar apart from the hotspot of Islampet.
The infected persons included two girls aged seven and eight who had returned from Hyderabad to Podili and a 79-year-old woman from Karumanchi village. A 30-year-old man from Ankabubalapuram village contracted the disease on his return from Chennai.
Health officials were alarmed over the number of new cases coming non-containment zones like Ponnalur, Vemulakota, Chandavaram, Tangutur, Parchur and Mangamuru villages. A 35-year-old bus conductor from Donakonda mandal was among those who got infected, Prakasam COVID-19 nodal officer John Richards said.
Nellore district on Sunday reported eight new cases, pushing the tally to 557. As many as 519 persons were quarantined.
Kotamitta, the hotspot in the city, accounted for three, while Sullurpeta reported two cases, according to a health bulletin issued by the Medical and Health department. Kaligiri, Vinjamur and Podalakuru recorded one case each.
With this, the number of active cases went up to 211 in the district, where 339 persons were cured of the disease, while four persons had succumbed to it.
