Cautioning people about the severity of the new strain of coronavirus, Telangana Public Health Director Dr G Srinivasa Rao on Wednesday appealed to everyone in the state to wear a mask everywhere, even at home. “From now on, wear a mask even at home. If you return home from outside and remove your mask, there is a possibility of infecting your family members and they could lose their lives,” the Health Director warned.
Dr Rao said that there is a new strain of the novel coronavirus which is spreading rapidly and is airborne.
“For the past four weeks, COVID-19 cases have been increasing rapidly. The situation will be the same for the next 4-6 weeks. If the situation continues like this, our state will also turn into a Maharashtra. Already some people are struggling to find beds. If this rate of infection continues, even if the government makes necessary arrangements there is a possibility of shortage of beds,” Dr Srinivasa Rao said.
Portion of the video where the Director of Public Health asks everyone to wear a mask even at home. Take care, people. pic.twitter.com/0dWmerUXyS
— Bala (@Bala__G) April 14, 2021
Explaining the severity of the new strain, he said, “If a person in the house contracts the virus, the entire family will get infected within a matter of hours to two days. There is no doubt that the virus is now airborne.”
He said that though the government is not inclined towards curfew or lockdown or other restrictions, the situation is very severe. "If people don’t follow self-restrictions and self precautions, the situation will turn worse. The present strain of virus is spreading at a high pace.”
As per the medical bulletin issued on Wednesday, Telangana has recorded 2,157 cases, eight deaths and a total of 25,459 active cases.
Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation in the state has recorded the highest number of cases at 361, followed by Medchal-Malkajgiri district and Rangareddy at 245 and 206 cases respectively.