Following orders from the state government, Hyderabad's famous Salar Jung Museum and other tourist spots like the Nehru Zoological Park remained closed on Sunday. The management announced that the museum will remain closed until March 21, as per the government's order.
Salar Jung Museum made the announcement hours after the state cabinet held a meeting on Saturday and decided to declare a holiday for all educational institutions and banned public gatherings.
Salar Jung Museum, which is located on the banks of the Musi river, is one of the biggest tourist attractions of Hyderabad and usually witnesses 3,000-4,000 visitors every day. The number increases upto 6,000 during weekends.
Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has 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, in a bid to prevent the spread of coronavirus. However, the state Disaster Management, in a Government Order (GO), stated that the Board exams for class 10 students will continue as scheduled.
Marriage halls and function halls would also remain closed except for marriage events which were fixed already. However, these weddings should not have guests more than 200 members. The GO also stated that the halls should not take up any new orders until March 31.
Permissions for summer camps, rallies, public meetings, cultural events, trade fairs, sports events and carnivals will not be accorded till March 21, the GO read.
KCR also announced that the government has allocated Rs 500 crore to contain the COVID-19 spread.
According to the medical bulletin issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday, in Telangana, three persons — all Indian nationals — were tested positive for the disease.
Meanwhile, public transport, including the Hyderabad Metro Rail and buses of the Road Transport Corporation (RTC), are in service as usual, with adequate sanitation measures taken up by the respective departments.
IANS inputs