Educational institutions to remain shut till March 31, says Telangana CM Chandrashekar Rao

In a bid to contain the outbreak of Coronavirus, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao said that all educational institutions in the state will remain closed till March 31. This decision comes after another case of the virus was confirmed in Telangana on Saturday taking the total number of those infected to two. The patient with travel history to Italy has been admitted to the state-run Gandhi hospital in the city for quarantine purposes.

Taking cognizance of the same, CM Rao urged people to not go to public places and apprised about the allotment of Rs 500 crore for preparations of COVID-19. He also said that few decisions have been taken by the state Cabinet in this regard.

"Public here in Telangana should not panic. The first person who was found positive, he was treated and he got cured. A second positive case was reported today and the person is in isolation ward in a state run hospital. Two suspected cases reports are pending. This virus can spread easily to people. As part of preventive measures, people should not go to public places to prevent themselves from COVID-19," Rao said.

He further said: "Rs 500 crore has been allotted for preparations of COVID-19. As of now, 1,020 beds are ready with isolation wards in Telangana and 240 ventilators are also ready. A Task Force team has also been set up to monitor the cases. From tonight, all educational institutions including coaching centres will be closed till March 31. If anyone keeps open then severe action will be initiated against them. The board exams including SSC, intermediate and other exams will be held as usual."

The Chief Minister also said that marriage functions, which are scheduled before March 31, can be held with not allowing more than 200 members. However, he said that no one should book marriage halls after March 31 and no managements should take bookings.

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Coronavirus in India

As of date, the total number of positive cases in India has soared up to over 80 - Haryana-15, Telangana-1, Rajasthan-3, Andhra Pradesh - 1, Karnataka-5, Jammu-1, Ladakh-3, Maharashtra- 16, Tamil Nadu-1, Uttar Pradesh-11, Delhi-6, Punjab-1, Kerala-19 (out of which 3 recovered). Along with it, two deaths have been reported in Kalaburagi and West Delhi respectively. 

India has suspended all visas, barring for a few categories such as diplomatic and employment apart from keeping in abeyance the visa-free travel facility to OCI cardholders till April 15. Moreover, the Centre has “strongly advised” Indians to avoid all non-essential travel abroad. The government is also monitoring all suspected cases and issued preventive advisories. 

READ: Fresh coronavirus case reported in Telangana

READ: Telangana: BJP MLC slams Chandrashekar Rao government over Coronavirus crisis