COVID-19 Measures: AP Govt To Distribute 16 Crore Face Masks Free Of Cost
AMARAVATI: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy directed State officials to distribute 16 crore face masks free of cost to the 5.3 crore people as a preventive measure in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
As per the Government's decision on Sunday, each of the 5.3 crore people in the state will get three facemasks per person. The distribution of masks should be completed as early possible to arrest the spread of the virus, the Chief Minister said.
On Sunday conducted a review meeting with officials related to the COVID-19 measures taken in the State. Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney, DGP Gautam Sawang, Chief Advisor to the Government Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, Special Chief Secretary Health, Medical & Family Welfare Department- Dr K S Jawahar Reddy and other officials attended the review meeting.
Door to door survey of 1.43 households out of the 1.47 crore households in the state has been completed so far. According to the Department of Health, 32,349 were referred to doctors and Asha workers, out of which 9,107 were to be sent for tests. But the CM directed the health department officials to conduct tests on all the 32,349 people. All put together, the department of health is gearing to conduct sample testing of 45,000 people with a focus on high risk zones.
YS Jagan emphasised that social distancing should be followed strictly in the state and that officials should take extra care to see that people don't come into large numbers.
They also made a mention of the increase in the number COVID-19 cases tally which now increased to 417. Around 11 corona patients have been discharged from hospitals in the state, while there were six deaths reported so far. Of the total cases registered in Andhra Pradesh from March 12, 199 were of Tablighi Jamaat attendees and 161, of their kin and contacts.
Of the foreign returness, 13 contracted the disease and 12 of their contacts got afflicted through human to human transmission. Another 32 cases were due to other reasons, they said.
