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Andhra Pradesh follows Telangana into lockdown mode till March 31

While asking all those who had returned from abroad to be under home quarantine for 14 days, Jagan appealed all residents to stay indoors unless faced with an emergency.

Updated on: Mar 22, 2020, 22:13:55 IST
Hindustan Times, Hyderabad | By
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Close on the heels of neighbouring state of Telangana, the Andhra Pradesh government, too, announced a lockdown in the state till March 31 to prevent spread of Sars-Cov-2 virus in the state.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy announced lockdown of the state on Sunday. (ANI Photo)
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy announced lockdown of the state on Sunday. (ANI Photo)

Speaking to reporters, chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy said except those supplying essential commodities like vegetables, provisions and milk, besides services like police, health and power supply, no other activity would be allowed in the state till March 31.

“There will no public and private transport. The inter-state borders are being closed,” he said.

While asking all those who had returned from abroad to be under home quarantine for 14 days, Jagan appealed all residents to stay indoors unless faced with an emergency.

“Especially, children below 10 years and old people about 60 years should not come out of the homes. Even for buying essential commodities, there should not be more than 10 persons at a place at a time,” he said.

The chief minister said luckily Andhra Pradesh had so far reported only five Covid-19 positive cases till now.

“We have so far isolated more than 11,000 persons who returned from abroad. Yet, we shall not take chances in view of the seriousness of the epidemic. Hence this lockdown till March 31,” he said.

Jagan also announced a payment of Rs 1,000 each to poor families for essential purchases to compensate for their loss of livelihood on account of lockdown.

“The village volunteer system has been functioning effectively in spreading the message on Sars-Cov-2. The volunteers would be supplying essential commodities like rice and Tur Daal to the doorstep,” he said.

  • Srinivasa Rao Apparasu
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Srinivasa Rao Apparasu

    Srinivasa Rao is Senior Assistant Editor based out of Hyderabad covering developments in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana . He has over three decades of reporting experience.

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