8 New COVID-19 Cases In Telangana In 1-day

Telangana recorded 8 new Covid-19 positive cases in a single day, 7 of which are primary contacts of the Indonesian preacher who lived in a Karimnagar mosque. CM KCR has convened a high-level meeting on Thursday to impose more restrictions on the movement of people to effectively prevent the spread of the dreaded virus.

Of the total 13 positive cases in the State, 12 are active positive cases who are undergoing treatment at Gandhi Hospital. Patient 5 and patients 7 to 13 are all Indonesians.

The 6th patient who tested positive on Wednesday was a 22-year-old man, who is pursuing BBA in Scotland and returned to Telangana on March 16, arriving at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at around 5.30 am. The patient stayed with his parents for a day, until he developed a fever and cough, after which he was shifted to Gandhi Hospital where he tested positive.

The government has identified 4 primary contacts of this person. What made the CM convene the high-level meeting on Thursday was a report that the 5th person, a religious preacher from Indonesia, who tested positive for Coronavirus on Tuesday, may have left a trail of hundreds of primary contacts.

The officials are already on the job of identifying them and at Thursday’s meeting, the CM is expected to issue orders for quarantining all those who returned from abroad.

The Indonesian religious preacher arrived in Ramagundam on March 14 and later traveled to Karimnagar. That he had exposed himself to a sizeable number of people had placed the officials on a high state of alert. Another development that jarred the administration was about the 24 people, who visited Thailand from Karimnagar and Siddidpet districts and have returned home and no tests were done on them.

The administration is looking to shift them to a quarantine facility while the Siddipet officials traced 2 of them and kept them under observation at an isolation facility.

Also, all district Collectors, SPs, Ministers, and officials have been asked to attend the CM’s high-level meeting on Thursday for drawing up an action plan. Rao called upon the people to be alert as some people from Indonesia who arrived in Karimnagar, had symptoms of the virus.

KCR also called upon people to inform the government about the arrival of people from other countries. The State government had already announced a one-week and a 15-day action plan to combat the virus. The one-week action plan will be completed on March 21.

“People should understand that the measures are being taken by the State government to ensure that COVID-19 will not spread in the State. People should not gather in huge numbers at one place,” The Chief Minister advised the State’s citizens.

Infected Indonesian preacher lived in Karimnagar mosque, the officials feel that it would be an uphill task for them to trace all the primary contacts. The preacher, along with his 10-member team, lived in a Karimnagar mosque for a few days after arriving from Ramagundam. What is worrying about the officials is that mosques are also high-risk public areas where devotees use common water bodies to wash hands, feet, and face before offering prayers.

A source from the South Central Railway said, “Details of 82 people who traveled in the coach with the Indonesian group from Delhi’s Nizamuddin to Tirupati train have been given to the State Health Department, who have started tracking and contacting them. The coach was also immediately disinfected, even before we were told about the case, as all coaches are being checked and disinfected.”

A letter by the State Health Department to the Deputy Chief Commercial Manager of the Secunderabad railway station read, "The patient (referring to the Indonesian) had traveled from Delhi in AP Sampark Kranti train (12708) on March 13. He subsequently tested positive for COVID-19. He was allocated a seat in coach S9, which reached Ramagundem on March 14. Given the above, it is to further be informed that the contacts/co-passengers who traveled with the Covid-19 positive patient run the risk of contracting the infection."