Coronavirus: Telangana extends lockdown till April 30 as COVID-19 cases cross 500

Telangana Chief Minister Chandrashekar Rao on Saturday announced his cabinet's decision of extending the COVID-19 lockdown in the state till April 30.

After the month end, the lockdown could be lifted in phases, Rao said.

According to the Chief Minister, the state has recorded a total of 503 COVID-19 cases, till now.

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“While 14 are dead, 96 have recovered and are discharged including the Indonesians,” Rao said in a press conference after a special cabinet meet on Saturday.

Earlier in the day, Rao, like other CMs, had participated in a video conference with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to assess the virus situation in the country.

“Almost all the CMs have opined in favour of the lockdown extension,” Rao said, while asking the state’s people to be patiently confined to their homes for a few days more “in their own interest.”

Telangana, as of Saturday night, has 393 active cases and none of them are in serious condition. “The incidence of cases is decreasing,” Rao said.

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While all the foreign returned and their contacts who had tested positive have recovered and are discharged; quarantine of the about 26000 foreign returnees kept in home or government facilities has also ended, the CM said.

Informing that about 1200 people from Telangana had attended the Nizamuddin Markaz and have returned, Rao said that 1654 connected to the event as in quarantine now, which could end by April 24.

“If no other calamity episode arises, then we can see relief,” the CM said.

The state has established 243 COVID-19 containment zones across the state with around half of them in - 123 - in the Hyderabad civic body area.

To the relief of lakhs of anxious patients, the CM has announced the cabinet decision to promote all the school children till class IX to the next standard, without exams. A decision on 10th exams would be taken later.