In Hyderabad, 328 cases, 18 deaths in a week; new areas in spotlight

Fresh cases are being reported from areas of Hyderabad where none were reported previously, away from the existing containment zones, indicating a community spread after the lockdown rules were relaxed.

With 328 new cases and 18 deaths in the last seven days, Covid-19 hotspots under the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) are rising.

In the 67 days from March 2 to May 8, 1,133 cases were reported in Telangana. Of these, 626 were in GHMC areas. However, in the next 18 days (May 8-25), 597 cases were reported from GHMC areas while a total of 787 cases were reported in the state — including 158 cases of migrant workers who returned to the state testing positive.

Similarly, there were 29 deaths reported in Telangana from March 2 to May 2. But 16 deaths were reported between May 21-25.

Fresh cases are being reported from areas of the city where none were reported previously, away from the existing containment zones, indicating a community spread after the lockdown rules were relaxed. Sources in GHMC said that the number of containment zones, which had come down to 56 on May 5, has increased to over 200 in the city now. A GHMC official told The Indian Express on condition of anonymity that they suspected that community transmission was occurring at liquor outlets and vegetable markets in the city.

Till May 5, Covid cases in Hyderabad were mostly reported from south-eastern areas of the city such as Charminar, Amberpet, Saidabad, Asifnagar, and Bahadurpura.

However, after the lockdown rules were relaxed, and all shops and business establishments were given permission to open (except for those in containment zones), cases are being reported from the northern and north-western parts of the city including Secunderabad, Khairatabad, Ameerpet and Nampally.

“The new cases are all related to those who violated lockdown conditions and got infected at vegetable markets and spread it to others. We are enforcing a very strict lockdown in containment zones so the cases are not due to people from those zones. The new cases are of people who got infected from others who earlier violated the lockdown restrictions,’’ a health department official said.