Coronavirus lockdown extended till May 7 in Telangana

Telangana became the first state to extend the lockdown by another four days

The lockdown to control the COVID-19 spread is extended till May 7 in Telangana, announced chief minister Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday.

“There would not be any relaxations allowed in Telangana,” Rao said after a special state cabinet meeting to review the situation in the state vis-à-vis the nation.

As declared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier, the entire nation is under lockdown till May 3.

Follow live updates on coronavirus

Telangana became the first state to extend the line by another four days, as COVID-19 positive cases continue to surge in the state.

The state recorded 858 cases till now, with 49 added on Sunday. Around half of these cases are from the capital Hyderabad area.

Rao appealed to people, especially those intending to fly in by domestic aircrafts from May 3, to avoid coming to Hyderabad till May 7, “as everything would remain shut.”

A May 5 cabinet meeting would decide on further action depending on the situation then, Rao said adding that the public opinion he gathered from various sections of society was in support of extension of the lockdown.

Mentioning the Delhi incident of a pizza delivery boy testing positive compelling the authorities to send several families for tests and quarantine, the chief minister said that Swiggy, Zomato like food delivery services would not be allowed from Monday.

• Some of the major COVID-19 situation related decisions announced by the CM are:
• Private schools would not be allowed to increase even a rupee fee for the 2020-21 academic year, and they can only collect the tuition fees.
• House owners should not ask for rents for three months till May. Tenants can call Police on 100 if they are troubled by their landlords
• No religious congregation in mosques or temples would be allowed.

“While the foreign returnee and their contact cases are all 100 percent recovered and discharged, the Nizamuddin connection cases continuing,” Rao said opining that cases could reduce in Telangana after May 1.

While appealing the public to show restraint till then, the Chief Minister cautioned that about 50,000 vehicles are seized in the state till now for violating lockdown rules.