Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has announced the state would be under curfew every night from Tuesday. The curfew will last 11 hours from 7 pm to 6 am throughout the lockdown period.
Rao has warned that a 24-hour curfew could be imposed with shoot at sight orders issued if people do not take the Covid-19 lockdown seriously.
Cautioning that even one Covid-19 person holds the possibility of infecting a thousand people, Rao has called for utmost restraint on part of the state’s people.
“But if you do not pay heed, then a 24-hour curfew and shoot at sight orders would be issued. And then we will also call in the army,” said Rao in a press conference on Tuesday, after a review meeting on the pandemic.
“I am folding my hands and appealing to you. Please stay indoors. We have closed everything, foregoing rupee thousands of crores of revenue for your well-being. There is no place open for you to venture out,” Rao said.
The CM said that even essential goods shops would be closed by 6 PM. Licenses of shops open thereafter would be cancelled. Petrol pumps could also be closed to prevent vehicular movement.
“If there is any emergency, just call 100,” the CM said.
The CM informed that the state has so far recorded 36 cases, with one – P1 – patient released.
“No one among the positive patients are in serious condition and on the path to recovery and discharge. However, there are 114 suspect cases.”
19,313 people have returned from abroad in the last few weeks. Passports of people in quarantine are being seized and passports of those flouting rules would be suspended, the CM warned adding that “one person from Nirmal has tried to escape quarantine three times.”
Rao expressed anger that public representatives from MLAs to councilors and panchayat members are not getting involved, while collectors, SPs and other officials are working hard to enforce lockdown.
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