The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to relax curfew timings in the state. Starting June 21, only a night curfew will be in place from 6 pm to 6 am. However, shops will have to close by 5 pm. In East Godavari alone, movement of people will be allowed only from 6 am to 2 pm, because of the high COVID-19 positivity rate in the district. Government offices will continue to function with regular timings, and all employees will be required to work from the office. The new timings will be in place till June 30. Partial curfew has been in place in the state since May 5, when the number of cases registered daily was higher than 20,000. The numbers have now fallen to around 6,000 cases a day.
In the 24-hour period ending at 9 am on June 17, a total of 6,151 COVID-19 cases were officially registered in the state. Among the 13 districts, East Godavari recorded the highest number of cases at 1,244. Meanwhile, the state government has also announced various measures to tackle a possible third wave of COVID-19, including hiring more doctors, and setting up three paediatric care centres at a cost of Rs 180 crore each. These pediatric health centres will be constructed in Visakhapatnam, Guntur and Tirupati.
While the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has cancelled exams for Class 10 and Class 12 students due to the COVID-19 situation, the Andhra Pradesh government has insisted on conducting exams for Class 10 and intermediate students. On June 17, state Education Minister Adimulapu Suresh said the government would take a decision on conducting the year-end examinations for Class 10 and Intermediate students at the appropriate time.
"We are keenly observing the situation. We will take an appropriate decision at the appropriate time," he told reporters. "Our stand has been the same from the beginning. We want to conduct the examinations only in the interest of the students' future," he maintained. It was anticipated that the government would take a call on the issue at a high-level review meeting on education chaired by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, in the backdrop of a growing demand for cancellation of the exams.
With PTI inputs
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