Andhra Pradesh government extends COVID-19 curfew till May 31

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Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh government on Monday decided to extend the curfew till May 31 as the coronavirus graph continued to be on a steep upward spiral in the state.

The COVID-19 curfew, daily from noon to 6 AM, that came into force on May 5 was supposed to end on Tuesday but, at a high-level review meeting on the pandemic, Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy decided to extend it till the month-end.

The state added 1,43,684 cases in the first week of May and the number shot up to 1,90,117 during May 8-16.

Andhra Pradesh reported over 20,000 cases per day, with a record 24,171 on May 16, in the last six days, clearly indicating that the curfew had had no impact.

"The curfew should be in force at least for four weeks to achieve the desired results (breaking the coronavirus chain). So continue it," the Chief Minister directed the authorities.

A release from the Chief Minister's Office said Jagan Mohan Reddy asked the health officials to take steps to bring down the COVID-19 cases, particularly in rural areas.

The Chief Minister also asked the officials to take care of children who lose their parents to COVID-19.

"Prepare an action plan on extending required financial assistance to such children. Deposit a fixed amount in their name so that they can utilise the interest for their regular needs," Jagan said.