Andhra: Man Tests Covid-19 Positive Following Participation In Nizamuddin Religious Congregation, Says Report

With the number of coronavirus (Covid-19) positive cases rising to 10, the Andhra Pradesh government has ordered a fresh door-to-door survey of households across the state.

Media reports said that the state government officials were asked to complete the survey in two days by Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy after a high-level review meeting in capital Amaravati.

Last night, a 52-year-old man and a 22-year-old youth tested positive for Covid-19. Of more concern is the 52-year-old, hailing from Guntur district, testing positive.

The man tested positive for Covid-19 when he returned to Guntur after taking part in a religious congregation at the 'Nizamuddin Mosque' in New Delhi, a PTI report on the India Today website said.

This, in particular, has now forced the state government order a fresh survey. This was because the earlier survey carried out with the help of 2.5 lakh volunteers was done only to trace some 14,000 people who had returned from abroad.

With the case of a person testing positive after having attended the Nizamuddin Mosque event, the YSR Congress government decided to opt for a household survey covering all its citizens.

In the earlier survey in which 10,000 people — all of them came back after 10 February — who had returned from abroad were identified. The entire 1.43 crore households in the state were covered by the survey.

The fresh survey will help the Andhra Pradesh government to take more vigorous measures to tackle the danger posed by the spread of Covid-19.

Andhra Pradesh announced a lockdown from 23 March. Until now, 26,059 people who have returned from foreign countries are under observation by the Andhra Pradesh Health Department. All of them are under home quarantine.

Nearly 100 people have been placed in isolation wards, while results of 13 tests are awaited as on 25 March.