At least 66 fitness centres, schools, swimming pools, gyms, coaching centres and bars in Hyderabad were sealed by the Directorate of Enforcement, Vigilance and Disaster Management (DEVDM) of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation on Tuesday for violating the government’s order. The government had ordered all these public gathering places to remain closed until March 21, to contain the spread of coronavirus.
The areas where the raids were conducted include: Charminar, Khairatabad, Kukatpally, LB Nagar, Secunderabad and Serilingampally. In the raid, 13 gyms, 34 education institutes, 3 fitness studios, 4 bars, 5 study rooms, 2 swimming pools, a function hall and a sports club were sealed.
The DEVDM also issued notices to malls, hypermarkets and other commercial markets which are open, to screen the visitors using thermal screening devices and sanitize the premises; provide hand gloves and masks for both the staff and the visitors.
On Saturday, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao had ordered the shutdown of public places, cinema halls, pubs, bars, swimming pools, museums, indoor and outdoor stadiums for a week (till March 21), while schools, including coaching centres, will remain closed until March 31 as a safety measure against the coronavirus.
Wedding halls would also remain closed except for weddings which were fixed already. However, these weddings should not have guests with more than 200 members, the government announced. The government stated that the halls should not take up any new orders until March 31.
Tourist destinations like Salar Jung Museum, Nehru Zoological Park have already been closed. On Tuesday, the Ministry of Culture issued orders to close down historic monuments like Charminar, Golconda and others from public visit until March 31.
However, the public transportation services including metros are running uninterrupted. The Hyderabad metro authorities are regularly sanitizing the premises to prevent the disease. Similarly, the RTC buses are being disinfected daily.