Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has appealed to people to stay indoors for three weeks to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Addressing the State on the outbreak of coronavirus and the recent developments on Thursday, Mr. Jagan, while admitting that he was disturbed over the Garikapadu incident, made it clear that hard decisions had to be taken at times to avert disasters.
On Wednesday night, tension prevailed at Garikapdu, a border village, after people coming from Telangana were denied entry into the State.
Mr. Jagan said a similar situation was prevailing at Pondugula, Dachepalli and Nagarjuna Sagar. Tracking people who contracted the disease would become difficult if people shifted from one place to another. Hence, it would be better if everyone remained indoors till April 14. “We are unable to welcome our own people with a smile on the face. But, I request everyone to think once.” Unless people followed the lockdown protocol, the spread of the disease could not be checked, he added.
Identification and shifting of affected people to hospitals would become easy only if people cooperated, he said.
‘Govt. working overtime’
He said helpline numbers 104 for medical emergencies and 1902 for other emergencies were active round the clock. If people observed home isolation, the needy and their contact point could be easily pinpointed. “We have never before in such an emergency,” the CM said.
“There are ten positive cases so far and we have tracked 27, 819 foreign returnees. The government has put in place isolation wards and dedicated medicare with critical care at four places. The facilities at the hospitals and isolation wards are well equipped to meet the requirements, but the three-week self-isolation would be a great contribution. Hundred-bed isolation centres are in place at the constituency level and officials and Ministers are constantly monitoring the situation,” he said.
