Covid-19 death sparks fear in Rangareddy villages

HYDERABAD: After a woman died of a respiratory illness triggered by Covid-19 in Chegur village recently, fear of contracting the virus has gripped the residents of Rangareddy.

Denizens have begun placing barricades and blocking roads to prevent entry of outsiders into their respective villages. In fact, they have even closed down internal roads in the villages.

The middle-aged woman, who had died of Covid-19, had visited at least two clinics and one medical store in Shadnagar mandal before being admitted to Osmania General Hospital.

While the authorities have already quarantined her primary contacts, including the doctors who treated her, the Chegur residents are worried as she used to run a kirana shop in the village.  

It was after her death that the authorities found out that she had contracted the virus from a Markaz attendee. They are expecting a spike in cases in Rangareddy. Further, of the 43 Covid positive cases that were reported on Saturday, 34 cases were from Hyderabad, Rangareddy and Medchal districts.

“People are horrified by the news. The poor are already affected by the lockdown and the outbreak in the district is only going to make things worse. However, the government is doing its best to disinfect the localities,” said Venkatesham, a Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency member. Speaking to Express, Shadnagar ACP V Surendhar said, “We have urged all residents to stay home. It’s not just Chegur village; the situation is more or less same in all the villages.”