Telangana Health Minister Etala Rajender today yet again reiterated that the TRS government had
no plans to impose a lockdown in the state any time soon.
The minister strongly refuted rumours regarding the possibility of the same while speaking to the media at his constituency, Huzurabad. He did however ask the people of the state to take precautions to prevent the disease from spreading further.
"I urge people to remain alert during this crucial time. They should exercise restraint and should only step out of their houses when absolutely necessary. They must make sure to wear masks and practice social distancing when out and about," he added.
Commenting on reports that private hospitals were charging desperate patients hefty sums to make a quick buck, Rajender asserted that such behaviour was wrong especially when the hospitals, responsible for looking after the ill, were the ones "fleecing" them.
He said, "The managements of private hospitals should show some degree of empathy and humanity in their handling of the pandemic situation. I am warning them once again not to work to further their narrow personal interests. The government will take action against the healthcare providers indulging in such opportunistic behaviour."
The minister also assured the farmers of the state that their welfare was among the main objectives of the state government and told them that the procurement of produce would be done under safe contains. He appealed to them to take all the required precautions while visiting procurement centres.
Though the government seems adamant not to impose a lockdown or restrict normal life in any substantial way, many, including the High Court and Director of Public Health Dr G Srinivas Rao, have
expressed concern over its failure to take stricter steps to curb the rise in Covid-19 cases which have been skyrocketing for some days now.
Just yesterday in fact Telangana recorded 3,840 new positives and nine fatalities. This means that the number of active cases in the state is now well over 30,000 and the cumulative death tally is close to 1,800.
The GHMC area alone reported 505 cases while Medchal-Malkajgiri and Rangareddy recorded 407 and 302 cases respectively. Nizamabad district also had a troubling 303 new cases and Jagtial had 167.
While a lockdown does not seem to be an option as it will seriously hit the state's economy, one wonders how the government will handle the second wave of the pandemic.