72 containment zones created in Prakasam district

Ongole: Joint Collector J Venkata Murali ordered the district Task Force Committee to take firm measures to control and contain the spread of coronavirus.

The first meeting of the district Task Force Committee on the control and containment of coronavirus in the second wave was held in the chamber of the Joint Collector on Thursday.

Speaking at the meeting, the Joint Collector said that there are 72 containment zones in the district as of on Thursday. He ordered the officials to implement the Disaster Management Act strictly and make sure that the coronavirus is contained.

He ordered the enforcement officials to conduct surveillance perfectly and impose a fine of Rs 100 on the people who roam without any mask even in the villages or towns. He also told the managements of the shops, business establishments, function halls, theatres, and places where the public can gather not to allow any person without a mask. If they do so, he ordered the officials to impose fines on the managements for Rs 500 in urban and Rs 300 in rural places.

He ordered them to register criminal cases on the management if they fail to follow order for the third time.

Murali informed that they are temporarily closing the swimming pools and parks in the containment zones and ordered to shutdown the liquor shops, bar and restaurants, RTC buses and private transport vehicles also in them. The medical shops in the micro containment zones will be allowed to open.

Aas the second wave of Covid is severely affecting the people, precautions are required, he said and ordered the officials to control the movement of the public at theatres, religious places, function halls and see there will be at least 5feet distance between the seats in the seating arrangement of theatres.

The JC ordered officials to form mandal and village-level task force committees to contain the coronavirus immediately on war footing.

He told them to appoint three committees at each village secretariat and ordered the staff at the secretariats to conduct awareness programmes on wearing of masks, sanitisers and physical distance.

The Markapuram OSD K Chowdeswari, ZP CEO T Kailash Giriswar, DRO K Vinayakam, Additional SP B Ravichandra, DPO GV Narayana Reddy, DTC B Krishnaveni, Deputy Commissioner of labour S Srinivasa Kumar, OMC Commissioner K Bhagyalakshmi and others also participated in the programme.