With Tirupati city accounting for close to one-third of COVID-19 cases registered in the Chittoor district, the officials have announced a total lockdown for a fortnight.
With this, the entire city has been declared as a containment zone. All retail outlets will be allowed to remain open only till 11 a.m. However, pharmacies and dairy units can be kept open throughout the day.
After a detailed review meeting on the ground situation, District Collector Bharat Narayan Gupta announced that the rule would come into force immediately. As 1,700 of the 5,400 cases registered in the district are from Tirupati, there is an urgent need to contain the spread. All business outlets will have to close down by 11 a.m., which includes push carts, mobile vending units and hawkers. He expressed concern over each of the 50 divisions in the city registering more than 20 cases, some touching as high as 40. The average mortality rate is 2.3% a day in the district, taking the number to 56 so far. The rule holds good for excise (liquor) and banking organisations too, Mr. Gupta added.
SP A. Ramesh Reddy appealed to trade and commerce outlets to extend cooperation in containing the death rate. “Extra care is necessary in view of Tirupati’s nature of being a mix of native residents and floating population,” he observed, expressing pain over the death of a Circle Inspector and a home guard in a week’s time. MCT Commissioner P.S. Gireesha advised the public to contact their ward volunteer or health secretary if they identified any such symptoms. “There are nine health centres in the city, besides Ruia and SVIMS hospitals,” he said.
