HYDERABAD: As people began arriving in the two Telugu states since May 9, at least 129 foreign returnees to Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have tested positive for COVID-19 as both states battle the coronavirus pandemic trying to contain its spread.

In Andhra Pradesh, a total of 111 foreign returnees have tested positive, 49 of them on Tuesday alone. Most cases are of those from the Gulf countries -- 44 from Kuwait, three from Abu Dhabi and two from Qatar. In Telangana, 18 foreign returnees tested positive on Monday.

Special evacuation flights under the 'Vande Bharat Mission' have been operated in the last few weeks to bring back stranded Indians from abroad.

Upon their arrival, the passengers are quarantined for 14 days based on their affordability and tests conducted before permitting them to leave the hotels. Those who test postive are sent to Gandhi Hospital while those test negative are allowed to leave.

Meanwhile, in line with the Central government’s latest guidelines, passengers would be quarantined for seven days in the hotel and seven more days at their respective homes.

Commercial domestic flight operations, which remained shut from March 25 owing to the nationwide lockdown to fight the coronavirus pandemic, resumed on May 25. In AP, it resumed on Tuesday.

On Monday, Telangana recorded a jump in COVID-19 cases with 66 people testing positive besides registering three fresh fatalities. The number of positive cases surged to 1,920 while the virus-related deaths rose to 56, a COVID-19 bulletin said. As many as 31 cases were reported from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) area, which remained the hotbed of the deadly infection in the state. The coronavirus affected also include 15 migrants and 18 foreign evacuees.

Andhra Pradesh reported 48 new cases taking the state's tally to 2,719 while the active cases in the state stood at 759 on Tuesday. A total of 1,903 people have recovered and were discharged from COVID-19 designated hospitals. The death toll in the state stands at 57, according to the state health ministry update at 10 am.

A total of 8,148 samples have been tested in the last 24 hours (9 am -9 am Tuesday).

Also Read | Telangana Liquor Worth Rs 2 Lakh Seized In AP