The city has turned into yet another COVID-19 hotspot with over 150 cases reported in its most densely populated areas so far.
Krishna district reported 52 cases during the past 24 hours and 50 of them are from the city which already has over 100 cases.
The coronavirus outbreak was more prevalent in Krishnalanka and Karmika Nagar near Machavaram due to two super spreaders.
In the past two days, 48 cases were reported in Krishnalanka and 32 in Karmika Nagar.
Khuddus Nagar and Gymkhana grounds area in Gandhi Nagar also reported four new cases each and two cases were reported in Gudavalli of Gannavaram mandal.
Meanwhile, the spike in cases in the city has put officials on their toes.
Flag march
District Collector A. Md. Imtiaz and Commissioner of Police Ch. Dwaraka Tirumala Rao conducted a ‘flag march’ with police vehicles and police personnel to sensitise the public about the need for maintaining social distance and also to warn of strict action if lockdown rules are violated.
Mr. Imtiaz said that violation of the lockdown had caused the virus to spread further. It had been observed that people at home were meeting their neighbours without maintaining social distancing. Everyone should behave in a responsible manner for the situation to become normal, he said.
So far 7,500 tests were conducted in the district, he added.
Mr. Tirumala Rao said that police would hereafter act strictly against violators as the situation was worrisome due to the huge number of COVID-19 cases. He said the lives of people are more important than anything else and continuous patrolling would be organised in the red zone areas.
Meat shops raided
Teams of the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation led by veterinary assistant surgeon Ravichandra have raided meat shops that were open in the morning despite closure orders by the corporation on Sunday in Ajith Singh Nagar, Payakapuram, Rajiv Nagar, Jakkampudi Colony, Ramalingeswara Nagar and other areas.
Officials seized 2 metric tonnes of seafood and 250 kg of chicken and mutton from them. Some of it was found to be stale.