Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan directs officials to prepare lockdown exit plan

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday took a few crucial decisions in the state’s fight against coronavirus. In a meeting that was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Alla Nani among other top officials, the lockdown exit plan for containment zones in Andhra Pradesh was discussed. Based on suggestions given by the officers, a few key decisions were taken by the CM.

So far, there are 290 zones that have been marked under the containment cluster category in Andhra Pradesh. Of these, 75 clusters have registered no new COVID-19 cases in the last 28 days. Permission to resume activities has been granted for these zones, and de-notify them.

In 22 clusters where the number of cases is increasing, the area within 1 km radius- with 500 metres containment area and 500 meters buffer area-will be treated as a containment zone with strict enforcement of lockdown. Around 103 clusters, where 10 or more COVID-19 cases are registered, a 200-metre radius containment area and a 200-metre radius buffer zone will be treated as containment zone. Around 90 dormant clusters where new cases have not been registered in the last 14 days, a containment area with 1 a radius of 200 metres, will be in place. If new cases aren’t registered till 31 May 2020, regular activities can be resumed in these areas.

Further, the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister ordered the officials to prepare a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) as part of the lockdown exit plan for the activities related to theaters, cinema halls, restaurants, movement of public and educational institutions. YS Jagan Mohan Reddy stated that each Primary Health Care centre in Andhra Pradesh must be allotted a two-wheeler vehicle in order to provide faster telemedicine. These bikes will be used to door-deliver medicines based on citizens’ medical prescriptions. Orders were issued to fulfill this requirement by 1 July 2020. Plans have been made to launch 1,060 new ‘108’ and ‘104’ ambulances on the same day.