KCR may continue with lockdown till May end

Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) is likely to continue the current lockdown beyond 3 May and extend it till the next month end. Indications from the top sources in the government point to a grim scenario of Covid-19 in the state in view of unabated unearthing of positive cases and some of them being dangerous. So far, Telangana accounts for 766 positive cases and 18 deaths.

Of them, as many as 66 cases were reported on single day of Friday. As the health bulletin in Hyderabad is issued every night, the number is expected to go further and may even cross triple digit by next week, according to officials of the medical and health department. This is a serious situation as Telangana is one of the few states in the country that contribute for 70% of the new cases.

Chief Minister KCR is in two minds on relaxing the lockdown restrictions from 20 April, as suggested by the Centre. He called for a Cabinet meeting on Sunday and will take a decision on minimizing relaxations and continuing most of restrictions in force now.

Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar is preparing a report for the Cabinet meeting. This report will cover inputs from various departments.

KCR is of the view that if lockdown is relaxed for some sectors like IT and software firms, with a rider that they must function with not more than 50 per cent staff, or allowing manufacturing of some goods and products, it would involve other issues like transport of staff and labour etc. For that, public transport will have to be opened or huge number of private vehicles will be on the roads.

For instance, IT sector concentrated in HiTech City area on the west of the city is opened for work from Monday, at least two lakh employees would be on the roads leading to traffic jams, thus rendering norms of social distancing ineffective. In usual days, this area sees traffic jams for hours together and now it may be for at least an hour or so, which is dangerous to the crowds.

Presently, there are around 130 red zones in the limits of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) which includes some industrial areas. In case manufacturing is allowed in these areas, the city will witness normal traffic and it would be difficult for police to isolate the red zones from the rest of the city.

Anyway, all schools and colleges are shut till June second week, due to summer holidays and clamp down will be there for cinema halls and bars etc for a few more weeks.

So, the government is planning to extend the lockdown in the entire city, if possible the entire state till May end. “However the CM will make a statement on this soon,” a senior official told this newspaper on Saturday. The state, however, will exempt certain sectors like pharmaceutical industry, food and beverages and other essential commodities related factories and all agricultural operations from the lockdown from April 20. All inter-state goods vehicles will be allowed and e-commerce firms will be permitted to operate from Monday.

Chief Minister KCR is firm on not allowing any religious functions to be held in any part of the State till May end. This includes the coming Ramadan mass prayers and other related gatherings. The government has asked the marriage halls not to let out till further orders. KCR might appeals to people to postpone all marriages till further date. Government offices will, however, work with half the staff.