Four deaths, 983 new COVID-19 cases in Telangana

The surge in COVID-19 cases continued unabated in Telangana on Sunday, with 983 new cases and four deaths being reported, even as the state government said a strategy to check the virus spread here, including a proposal to reimpose a lockdown would soon be finalised.

The tally of positive cases and deaths rose to 14,419 and 247 respectively following the detection of 983 infections and the four deaths.

Out of the 983 cases, 816 were reported from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), followed by Ranga Reddy district, neighbouring Hyderabad, with 47 cases.

A state government bulletin said 5,172 people have been discharged so far, while 9,000 were under treatment. According to the bulletin, 3,227 samples were tested on Sunday taking the cumulative to 82,458.

The Chandrasekhar Rao-led government said a strategy to control the spread of COVID-19 cases in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) following a sharp rise in infections, including a proposal to reimpose a lockdown, would soon be finalised.

"Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao has decided to finalise the strategy to contain the spread of coronavirus in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation jurisdiction in the next three to four days," an official release said.

Rao said the government would examine all relevant issues and take a necessary decision as they have to be considered before re-imposing lockdown in GHMC limits.

"If lockdown is imposed, it should be implemented strictly and totally. There should be a day long curfew with one or two hour relaxation to buy the essentials," the release quoted him as having said.

Meanwhile, a senior official of the state police academy said around 100 people, including staff members and others tested positive for COVID-19 and all of them were asymptomatic. He said all of them were doing fine.