The Telangana government on Sunday, 19 April, decided to extend the lockdown in the state until 7 May, four days longer than the nation-wide lockdown announced earlier by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"No relaxation will be given in the state of Telangana," Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said, adding, "By 1 May, we pray to god and with our best efforts, we will be in a better condition. Everyday, more people are getting discharged. But we may get new cases in the meantime. That's why we have to be careful."
The announcement was made after a meeting of the state cabinet led by KCR. The CM explained that by 7 May all existing containment zones (in Telangana) would have completed their 14-day mandatory isolation.
"Any new subsequent containment zone will be taken as a one-off unit for the purpose of containment," the government said.
Stating that the Centre has equipped states to take further steps to curb COVID-19 if necessary, KCR said, "After an intensive survey and due considerations, we have decided that the lockdown will be continued in Telangana till 7 May. Lockdown will be lifted from 8 May."
The CM said that the cabinet would meet again on 5 May to take stock of the situation.
Speaking to reporters, KCR said, "On Saturday, 18 new COVID-19 cases were reported, taking the total tally to 858 positive cases in the state. Of this, 21 people have died, and 186 people have been discharged. 651 people are under treatment in hospitals."
In another major development, the state government has also decided not to permit food deliveries in the state in order to prevent the likely spread of COVID-19 till the end of the lockdown period.
Stating that apps like Big Basket which delivered groceries would be exempt, KCR said, "All food delivery apps like Swiggy and Zomato will be banned from Monday morning. People will not be allowed to order food."
The chief minister also said that no religious congregation will be allowed during the lockdown period.
KCR also expressed satisfaction that Telangana was seeing its COVID-19 cases doubling every 10 days, against the national rate of every eight days. He also said that the death rate in the state was 2.44 percent instead of the 3.22 percent nationwide. He also said that Telangana was conducting 375 tests per million people, against the national average of 254.
(This story has been published in an arrangement with The News Minute)
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