Andhra Pradesh extends night curfew till September 4

The Andhra Pradesh government has further extended the night curfew across the state till September 4, as part of its efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19. Principal Secretary (Health, Medical and Family Welfare) Anil Kumar Singhal issued the orders extending the 11 pm to 6 am curfew for another fortnight on Friday, August 20.  "District collectors, superintendents of police and commissioners must strictly enforce these rules," said Singhal.

The decision was taken after a review of the COVID-19 situation and keeping in view the number of positive cases, he said in a government order. Not more than 150 persons are allowed at marriages, functions and religious events, and following COVID-19 appropriate behaviour remains mandatory at all congregations. Any violation will attract action under Sections 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, section 188 of the Indian Penal Code and other applicable laws, Singhal said. 

Meanwhile, in the 24-hour period ending at 9 am on Friday,  the state recorded 1,435 new COVID-19 cases and six deaths. A total of 69,173 tests were conducted during that period. The fresh cases pushed the cumulative tally above 20 lakh, while the death toll mounted to 13,702. Officials said 1,695 people recovered from the virus during the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative tally of recovered people to over 19.7 lakh. Currently, there are 15,472 active COVID-19 patients in the state. The health authorities have so far conducted 2.59 crore COVID-19 tests.

Schools in Andhra Pradesh were recently reopened on August 16 for the first time since the second wave of COVID-19 subsided. As a precautionary measure, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy asked officials to test symptomatic students for COVID-19, and to implement strict COVID-19 protocols in schools. 

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