Health Department officials in Telangana after initiated containment measures around the locality at Bhadradri Kothagudem after the 57-year-old Deputy Superintendent of police of the district tested positive for COVID-19. The DSP's son, who had returned from London via Dubai, had earlier tested positive. While the DSP's wife and two home guards in the have tested negative, the family's home cook tested positive for the disease as well.
The two new cases — DSP SM Ali and the family cook — brings the total number of COVID-19 cases in the state to 39.
The process of containment has been initiated in the residential areas of Bhadradri Kothagudem district and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) areas of Ranga Reddy district.
At the Bhadradri Kothagudem district, the health department officials have set up a three-kilometre containment zone and a seven-kilometre buffer zone. Similar measures have been adopted under the GHMC area in Ranga Reddy district, where a containment zone of one-kilometre and a buffer zone of three- kilometre has been set up in the area.
Earlier, when eight Indonesian nationals had tested positive in Karimnagar district, the health authorities had conducted health check-ups for locals around the mosque where the group had been residing for two days. As many as 100 medical teams were deployed for door-to-door screening for COVID-19 symptoms. A three-kilometre area around the mosque was cordoned off to carry out the exercise. The police had also reviewed CCTV footage to ascertain who the group had come in contact with.
In the meantime, the authorities have booked the 57-year-old DSP and his son for allegedly not informing health authorities about the arrival of the latter from London on March 18, as he later tested positive for coronavirus.
Police say the DSP SM Ali failed to report about his son’s arrival and not following the mandatory 14-day quarantine for foreign returnees.
Reports suggest the DSP's son had ventured out, violating the quarantine protocol multiple times. He reportedly went out for a haircut and even attended a family function in West Godavari in Andhra Pradesh on March 19.