Friday, Sep 29, 2023

Telangana extends lockdown till June 9

Seven-hour relaxation from 6am to 1pm with 1 hour (till 2pm) grace period; All activities will be allowed during relaxation period as per existing guidelines

By Telangana Today

Updated On - 12:29 AM, Mon - 31 May 21

Hyderabad: The State-wide lockdown in Telangana has been extended by another 10 days, from May 31 to June 9, but with a seven-hour window of relaxation instead of four hours, as part of the State government’s efforts to contain the spread of Coronavirus in the State.

The decision was taken by the State Cabinet that met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao at Pragathi Bhavan on Sunday. The lockdown relaxation will now be from 6am to 1pm with an additional hour (till 2pm) of grace period for people to reach home after finishing their jobs. This is the second extension of the lockdown after it was implemented on May 12.

All the activities will be allowed during the relaxation period as per the existing guidelines and in strict adherence to the Covid-10 protocol. The lockdown will be implemented very strictly from 2 pm to 6 am and no one except the services exempted earlier, will be allowed to venture out during these hours. An important development is that the Cabinet decided to allow registration of vehicles as well as properties during the extended lockdown relaxation period on government working days, in strict accordance with the Covid-19 and lockdown relaxation norms.

The State Cabinet, during its marathon five-hour meeting, had extensive discussion on the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on the State including spread of the disease, treatment being provided to patients, preventive measures and also other activities such as agriculture and industrial operations during the lockdown, among other issues.

The officials informed the Cabinet that number of Covid positive cases in the State was steadily declining. It was observed that the pandemic was most active in the State border areas like Khammam, Madhira, Sattupalli, Alampur, Gadwal, Narayanpet, Maktal, Nagarjuna Sagar, Kodad and Huzurnagar. The Cabinet directed the State health officials led by the Principal Secretary for Health to visit these areas to take stock of the ground-level situation and initiate immediate measures to contain the spread of the virus.

Amid predictions of a third wave of Covid-19 pandemic, the State Cabinet felt that the Medical and Health Department should remain alert and make necessary arrangements in advance to contain the spread of the disease. The officials were instructed to review the existing conditions in all district and area hospitals, besides initiating necessary measures to equip them with necessary infrastructure as a precautionary measure.

Seven medical colleges approved

The State Cabinet formally approved the State government’s decision to set up seven medical colleges and also affiliated nursing colleges in the districts of Nagarkurnool, Wanaparthy, Mancherial, Jagitial, Sangareddy, Mahabubabad and Bhadradri Kothagudem. The Cabinet also sanctioned nursing colleges in affiliation to the existing medical colleges.

The Cabinet decided to set up a multi-super specialty hospital in Warangal on the premises of the existing Central Prison. The officials of Home Department were instructed to relocate the inmates of the prison to another suitable location and hand over the land to the Medical department within a month. It was decided to identify necessary land for construction of a new prison in Mamunur area with state-of-the-art facilities and submit necessary proposals to the Cabinet soon.

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