Officials of the COVID-19 Task Force were on their toes with the surfacing of three positive cases in Srikalahasti on Wednesday. With this the temple town accounted for 51 of the 77 cases in Chittoor district.
District Collector Narayana Bharat Gupta inspected the red zones in Nindra, Chinnagottigallu and Yerravaripalem mandals, which reported one positive case each, all being police and revenue personnel.
The Collector rushed to Kuppedu village in Nindra mandal at noon following an appeal by the villagers to conduct tests to all those who had completed 60 years of age. Mr. Gupta asked the task force personnel to conduct 100 tests in the village, which should include all the elderly people there.
A revenue official, a resident of Kuppedu but working at Srikalahasti, had tested positive to the virus last week.
This led to declaring of the neighbouring mandals of Pichatur and Narayanavanam as red zones. He is currently under isolation at SVRR COVID-19 hospital in Tirupati. Though all his family members and close relatives in the village were sent for quarantine, the villagers expressed fears of community spread of the virus. This made them appeal to the Collector to visit their village and initiate steps for massive tests.
Circle Inspector (Nagari rural) M. Rajasekhar informed the Collector that the inter-State border with Tamil Nadu at Nindra and Vijayapuram mandals were under surveillance and the lockdown was being implemented strictly in the rural areas. A special vigil was mounted on the rural roads to prevent unnecessary public movement.
The Collector also inspected the red zones at Utabavula and Chappidi villages in YV Palem and Chinnagottigallu mandals, where two positive cases surfaced last week. He told the field staff to collect samples from all those who complain of symptoms related to the virus.