Authorities in Visakhapatnam step up vigil as coronavirus cases rise

Coronavirus cases in India are on a steady rise. Visakhapatnam too has seen five coronavirus cases get reported in a span of 24 hours. While four of these cases were reported on Tuesday night, another case came to light on Wednesday morning. According to reports, the five patients were in attendance at the prayer meeting held at Nizamuddin, Delhi earlier in March 2020.

With the new cases of coronavirus being reported, the GVMC authorities have accelerated all sanitisation and disinfection work in Visakhapatnam, especially in a few “hot-spots”. Of these, Anakapalle (rural and town), Narsipatnam, Gopalapatnam, Thatichetlapalem, Pedagantyada, and Akkayyapaelm saw disinfection work begin already. Frequently used public roads were also disinfected.

Other areas, from where coronavirus cases have been reported, have been kept under a close watch. From disinfecting 3-km radius around the patient’s residence to conducting door-to-door surveys, several measures are being taken in a bid to contain the possible spread of the disease.

Minister of Tourism Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao inspected Anakapalle, Bheemili and Elamanchili constituencies on Wednesday. The Minister stated that stringent efforts are being made to trace the people who have come from other states to Vizag. Further, all efforts are being made to disinfect the areas around their residences, said the Minister. Protective masks and sanitizers were distributed free of cost to the residents in these areas.

As on Thursday, 333 samples were sent for testing from Visakhapatnam. While 190 have turned negative, 11 tested positive for coronavirus so far. The results of the remaining 132 samples are awaited.