Telangana’s swell of new coronavirus cases continued on Tuesday even as the government is seriously mulling over whether to reimpose lockdown in Greater Hyderabad or enforce stricter measures in hotspot zones in the city.
State health department confirmed 945 new cases of COVID-19 in Telangana in the last 24 hours, raising the state’s total number of confirmed coronavirus infections to 16,339. Of the 945 new cases, a whopping 869 positive cases were reported in GHMC limits.
After the reopening of the economy, the coronavirus spread has been alarming with higher positive-test cases and increasingly strained hospitals. In the last 24 hours, seven succumbed to Covid-19 taking the total fatalities to 260.
The state has been reporting three-digit growth in corona cases despite the measures initiated so far. On Thursday, the state reported 975 new cases taking the corona tally to 15,394 and six new deaths taking the total number of fatalities to 253. The government has attributed the surge in new cases to increased testing capacity. However, it looks like the virus is more widespread than previously thought.
Meanwhile, the Telangana government is expected to finalise a strategy to control the spread of COVID-19 cases in the city following a sharp rise in infections, including a proposal to reimpose a lockdown although many think it is unlikely.
Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao may not reimpose lockdown again in the state. The CM is likely to hold a Cabinet meet and examine all relevant issues before deciding to reimpose lockdown in GHMC limits. The state government seems to be in no mood to reimpose the lockdown although stricter measures could be imposed in hotspots in the city.
Already, minister for education Sabitha Indra Reddy on Tuesday stated that reimposing lockdown to contain the coronavirus outbreak will hurt the informal sector, including street vendors and daily wagers. Many of them would lose their wages during the lockdown because their survival depends on daily cash flows. The lockdown will again bring to halt most of the economic activity that has slowly picked up. Small business owners will be particularly hard hit, she said.
