At a mobile swab collection centre in Vijayawada. (PTI)

Coronavirus cases may have shot up by a whopping 14,000 in just over a month in Andhra Pradesh, but the state government said the pandemic spread is at a "manageable" level right now.

'R naught', which indicates the scale of transmission of an infection in AP is now 1.2 to 1.3, indicating that the "numbers are under control." "It becomes uncontrollable if R naught crosses 2," Special Chief Secretary (Health), K S Jawahar Reddy said.

Meanwhile, Telangana has ramped up testing facilities and is taking other measures to check the spread of COVID-19, State Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar said on Saturday. Kumar said this in a video conference held by Union Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba.

"Chief Secretary Shri Somesh Kumar IAS, informed that the state has ramped up testing facilities and working on enforcing surveillance in containment zones after the visit of the central team to the state," an official release said here.

Hyderabad’s Golconda Fort opens July 6 with curbs, guides hope tourists will return

The officials of ASI’s Hyderabad held several discussions Friday following instructions from the head office. One of their major concerns is whether the Golconda Fort falls under a containment zone demarcated by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. However, after the GHMC gave a go-ahead, the ASI has decided to open the monument on July 6, Monday, but with certain curbs in place.

“We have decided to restrict the number of visitors to 2,000. The ticket counter will remain closed and entry will only by online booking via the ASI website. No eatables will be allowed inside and only packaged drinking water could be allowed in the canteen inside, for which only digital payments will be accepted,” M Naveen Kumar, Conservation Assistant in-charge of Golconda told indianexpress.com.